Another Way
by Salt-the-Catgirl
Summary: Spoiler Warning! My first Shiki fic. My first Yaoi story. What would have have happened if Natsuno and Tohru both survived the Sotoba Slaughter and they did leave the village after it was all over? Rated T for some tame boy-on-boy hugging and kissing, and some strong language. ... I give up; this is no longer a one-shot. 6 Chapters, 45 pages... DONE!
1. Chapter 1 - The Offer Still Stands

Note from Author: What if things had turned out a little different for Tohru and Natsuno at the end of the series? (Yeah, deviating from the cannon version here.) This is my first fic for this series. I don't know if I'll finish it, I doubt I'll write another, and don't expect much more than a single chapter. That said, I do need to get something out. First off, I'm not one of those Yaoi fan girls. I rarely ever find a male-on-male couple that interest me, and on top of that, I wasn't too thrilled with the way Shiki ended, but when I started watching the show, I jokingly started shipping Tohru and Natsuno as well as Seishin Muroi and Toshio Ozaki. By the end of it, I was a lot more serious in shipping the former couple. I'm giving a spoiler warning now, as the introduction takes place after Natsuno has become a Jinrou. I'm borrowing from a theory I picked up in another fan-fic that a Shiki can feed from a Jinrou. I'm also going to implement a theory of my own on the Jinrou/Shiki relationship. There will be some tame Yaoi action throughout.

_**Chapter 1: The Offer Still Stands**_

Natsuno gasped and opened his eyes, darting them around the room. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was Tohru visiting him in the middle of the night, the feel of his best friend's fangs as they sunk into his neck, and the splash of Tohru's tears of remorse as he did so. Natsuno sat up, and put a his hand on his head vaguely recalling the sound of his father's voice, calling out to him as a morning breeze blew through the open window.

"I… I should have died then," Natsuno mumbled, looking around, "So, where am I?" Natsuno checked his wrist. "Is… Is that a pulse? But, Tohru-Chan…?" Natsuno was clearly confused as to where he was, or why. He forced himself up and looked around. It didn't take him long to figure out what happened, Tohru had drained him to the point that he was just barely alive, his father found him and thought him dead, calling in a funeral home from the city. "How long have I been out? Obviously not long enough for them to cremate me just yet."

Natsuno made his way through the door, if he left without a word, perhaps the city would think something got crossed in the paper work, that they cremated him in place of someone else by mistake. His last words to Tohru had been, 'I get the feeling I'm never going to leave this village,' and yet, Tohru had given him his chance to leave. Though, something wasn't right. Natsuno had a pulse, he could feel himself breathing, but something seemed odd, different. He felt stronger than ever before. He stopped dead in his tracks and blinked. That Tatsumi, he was different from the Shiki, too. Had he become something like him? "Damn it all," Natsuno growled at this realization. "They're going to pay. They're all going to pay."

Natsuno returned to Sotoba and watched from the shadows for a while. From what he gathered, the Shiki thought he had been cremated. This was good, it meant they couldn't perceive him as a threat. It was easy to hypnotize his father and regain entrance into his home. Natsuno was careful not to be seen by the Shiki or the other villagers. He'd discovered that Dr. Ozaki was also looking for a way to rid the village of the ever growing menace that was the Shiki. The doctor could prove useful.

There was only one thing that was making Natsuno careless in his efforts to keep from becoming unknown. Tohru. He quietly watched as his best friend, the very Shiki who had turned him, came to his window with flowers, to mourn his actions. It was risky to make contact with him, and he held back as long as he could.

Once Natsuno and the doctor had joined forces to take out a common enemy, he decided to confront Tohru. He over heard the conversation as Tohru confessed his actions to the Junior Monk, Muroi Seishin. He waited until Seishin had left Tohru alone, then slowly approached. "Damn it all, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno said. "You're persistent in making it hard for me to kill you."

Tohru looked up in surprise. "N-Natsuno!?" Tohru gasped.

"Stay where you are," Natsuno insisted, taking a step back, as he saw Tohru getting ready to pounce.

"Natsuno, you… You rose up?" Tohru asked, using the sleeves of his sweater to dry his eyes.

Natsuno sighed and approached Tohru. "I don't know what happened, Tohru-Chan. All I know is I came back. I'm getting Kaori and her brother Akira out of town, and I'm going to ask two things of you."

"Anything, Natsuno," Tohru agreed, "Anything to make up for what I've done to you."

Natsuno backed Tohru back against the tree, looking him in the eyes. Tohru's eyes widened, he could see the change in Natsuno's eyes. "First off," Natsuno said, "Don't tell anyone I'm back. They think I'm gone, and I want it to stay that way."

Tohru nodded, "I won't say anything, if I can help it, Natsuno. As long as they have no reason to ask if I know anything, I won't need to say anything. What's the other thing?"

Natsuno backed up and closed his eyes. "Do your best to stay safe. I can't say more than that. It's dangerous enough to let you go, when you know about me. I offered you a way out of here, once before. If we survive what's about to happen, the offer still stands."

"Huh?" Tohru asked curiously. "Natsuno, what are you…?"

Natsuno put a finger against Tohru's lips to shush him. "Don't ask. It's better if you don't know. Just promise me you'll be careful?" A confused look swept across Tohru's face, but he nodded quietly. "I'll say this much, a storm is brewing, the Shiki are becoming careless in the way their handling things. It won't end well for anyone, but if anyone has the right to kill you, that Tatsumi, or that bitch Shimizu, it'd be me." Tohru started to open his mouth to say something, but Natsuno's eyes locked with his, reinforcing his silence. "One way or another, they'll pay for what they've done to us, Tohru-Chan. That's a promise." With that, Natsuno turned and walked away, leaving Tohru where he stood.

Finally, the night of the Kagura festival fell upon the village. Chiziru's public execution was the beginning of an all out war between the Shiki and the remaining humans. This was what Natsuno was waiting for. If Tastumi was a Jinrou and could kill any of the Shiki if the need arose, then what was to stop Natsuno from doing the same? In the midst of everything, Kaori and Akira were moved to the city, where they would be kept safe.

It took some effort, but Tohru managed to get Ritsuko to run with him when their location had been discovered by the villagers. Even though she was weak from refusing to eat, Ritsuko convinced Tohru it would be best to split up. She knew she was slowing him down and wanted to give him a fighting chance. Tohru narrowly dodged a villager with a stake and managed to escape; Ritsuko wasn't so lucky.

Natsuno took survey over the bodies while the humans were chasing the other Shiki, finding Ritsuko amongst the corpses. He was relieved to see no sign of Tohru, Maso, or Megumi, meaning it was possible they were still out there, somewhere.

Maso was of no true concern to Natsuno. He'd found Maso's constant complaining annoying, and would have loved the chance to knock him around a bit, but Shimizu Megumi and Tohru were the ones he really had his eyes on. If Shimizu hadn't given way to jealousy over Tohru, then perhaps none of them would be in this mess, now. He almost wanted to run the stake through her heart, while Tohru watched. "I wonder if they've found her yet?" he mumbled, as he started the fire that would soon burn all of Sotoba to the ground.

The last thing Natsuno remembered was the sound of the TNT as it exploded inside the pit. He had no way of knowing who had survived and who hadn't. It seemed hours had passed, and yet, somehow, he had survived the explosion. Tatsumi wasn't so fortunate. Perhaps this was because of everything Tatsumi had gone through before their battle. "So, I survived, after all?" he grumbled as he pulled himself out of the pit. It was still night, the flames were still sweeping, but by now the area nearby was only smoldering, but those who could seemed to have left.

"Natsuo!?" Tohru's voice called out to him.

Natsuno's eyes widened and he looked up. "Tohru-Chan?" he gasped, scrambling to his feet.

Before he could say another word, Tohru pounced him, throwing his arms around him. "Natsuno! You're alright," Tohru sobbed. "They killed her, they killed Ritsu-Chan. She never did anything to anyone. She refused to feed, and they killed her."

Natsuno sighed and put his hands on Tohru's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno whispered, "I know she meant a lot to you. Are you all that's left?"

"As far as I know," Tohru answered somberly. "Like you said, Natsuno, you're the only one with any right to kill me." Tohru closed his eyes, ready for the blow. "If that's what you want, I won't fight you."

Natsuno shook his head. "I've got other plans. Have you fed tonight?"

"Huh? No, not yet, and with all that's happened, I'm surprised to admit it never crossed my mind," Tohru answered.

Natsuno rolled up his sleeve and offered Tohru his arm. He turned and looked away from him. "Then hurry up and do so. From what I've come to understand, I've become a Jinrou. You can feed from me, and I won't die, and since you're the one who turned me, my blood should be better for you than that of any human."

"N-Natsu…" Tohru stammered.

"Hurry up!" Natsuno insisted, turning to look Tohru in the eyes. "It'll be morning soon. I'll have to find a way to move you out of the village without anyone seeing us." Tohru smiled meekly and nodded. Natsuno flinched as he felt Tohru's teeth sink in once more. He smiled while Tohru fed. Had the villagers caught Tohru, then Natsuno wouldn't have accepted his own survival. But, as long as Tohru was unharmed, he had something to stay alive and fight for.

Time passed, and after a while, Natsuno felt safe enough to reenter society in the big city. Using his father's family name, Yuuki, he registered himself and Tohru as a pair of brothers who due to family circumstances, were now on their own. This allowed him to work things out, procuring a building for them. To keep inquisitive towns folk from snooping into their lively-hood, he got a building that would allow himself and Tohru to live in the back, while using the front as a small in-home night-time restaurant.

Tohru had become completely reliant on Natsuno's assistance by this time, as Natsuno was the only one who could go out for anything they needed during the day. When asked about Tohru's rare ventures outside, it was explained that Tohru was always a bit sickly from birth, and it was all left up to his 'big brother' Natsuno to take care of him.

Things were finally ready for them to open their restaurant. Natsuno watched as the sun set, and went to wake the sleeping Shiki.

"Tohru-Chan," Natsuno called as he gave the sleeping blonde vampire a gentle nudge, "Come on, sleepy-head, time to get up."

With a moan, Tohru opened his eyes and looked up at his Jinrou guardian. "Is it nightfall, already?" he asked, sitting up. "Wait, you're opening the restaurant, tonight, aren't you? Natsuno, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Natsuno rolled up his sleeve to expose his arm. "Relax. They think we're a couple of kids trying to make it on our own. This was the only thing I could think of to keep people from asking where we're getting our money in order to get by. Just drink your fill now," Natsuno assured him. "I can count on you for help in the kitchen, can't I?"

Tohru nodded. "As long as I don't have to handle garlic," he said with a half-hearted laugh, as he bit into Natsuno's arm.

Natsuno smiled and wrapped his free arm tightly, yet gently around Tohru's body. Tohru blinked in surprise, but couldn't bring himself to pull away from his meal, when he suddenly felt the back of his head resting against Natsuno's shoulder. Tohru wasn't sure if he could blush, but if he could, he was almost certain he would be. "I know you're nervous about reentering the world of the humans, but it's better to do what we can to live quietly along side them without raising their suspicions, than it is to continue to move from place to place on a daily basis, or to attempt a repeat of what happened in Sotoba. Drink your fill now, Tohru-Chan. Come to me if you need more, later. When it comes to feeding, I want you to look only at me." Now, Tohru and Natsuno both felt as though they could blush.

"Natsuno?" Tohru asked, as he pulled away from the Jinrou's arm, licking the wound with his tongue, "Why?"

"Huh?" Natsuno blinked at Tohru, "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this for me?" Tohru asked. "I bit you that first time, because I was protecting my family, and because I knew you'd never forgive me if I let Megumi do it instead. But, you wanted to run and do this, even before you turned. You could have left, you could have killed me at anytime, but you stayed. I just want to know, why?"

Natsuno smiled and wrapped his arms around Tohru's shoulders from behind. "I thought it would be obvious by now, Tohru-Chan." Tohru squirmed a little, feeling Natsuno's warm breath on his cold neck.

"Natsuno?" Tohru whispered softly, not sure how to react to his friend's embrace. He couldn't understand it; by every right, Natsuno should be angry with him. Natsuno himself had laid claim to Tohru's life. But, Natsuno had his chance to be free of burdens, to live the big city life he'd wanted to return to. Tohru couldn't help feeling he was holding Natsuno back, or that he had taken it all from him.

"You know, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno finally spoke, "For all the complaining I did about my parents taking me out of the city and into Sotoba, there was one good thing I found there. One thing that made me hesitant to leave. A certain someone who followed after me like a little lost puppy, the only one I was able to let my guard down for, and made me feel safe. Someone who would go out of his way to try and make me smile, and I who I never could stand to see unhappy." Natsuno fell silent again, for a moment, letting his words sink in. This whole thing felt out of character for him, but he felt it needed to be said. With a smirk, he finally continued, "You know, for all their rebellion against social norms, like the marriage system and religions and superstitions, I can almost picture my how happy my parents would be if they could hear me say this, and I have to admit, I've been reluctant to say it after Ritsu-Chan. It just didn't seem right. But, I may as well get it out there." His embrace on Tohru tightened a little, as he leaned into the Shiki's ear and whispered, "I love you, Tohru-Chan."

Tohru's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to face Natsuno, but he wasn't sure how to respond. "N-Natsuno, I…" before he could utter another word, they heard a sound, as if someone were entering the restaurant.

Natsuno smiled at him, putting a finger to his lips to hush him, and lightly kissed Tohru's forehead. "Sounds like we've got our first customer. It's alright, Tohru-Chan, you don't have to say anything right now." He didn't expect Tohru to reciprocate his feelings, but felt he deserved to know they were there.

Tohru quietly watched Natsuno walk out of the room. He still wasn't sure what to think of that confession. Were these feelings that Natsuno had always harbored, or had they come to exist after Natsuno had become a Jinrou?

Natsuno entered the restaurant, to greet their first customer, and he was surprised at what he saw. It was Seishin Muroi, the Junior Monk from the temple in Sotoba, standing in the door way, waiting for someone to invite him in. "You!?" Natsuno and Seishin both exclaimed in surprise.

Seishin smiled quietly. Here, Seishin had thought he and Sunako were the only Shiki and Jinrou to escape the flames of Sotoba, yet here Natsuno stood before him, even when Tohru had confessed responsibility for Natsuno's death. "I see, so you became a Jinrou, too?" Seishin asked, quite un-menacingly.

"How the hell did you make it out?" Natsuno asked, surprised to see Seishin.

"It's a long story," Seishin replied. "Sunako and I have been in hiding."

"She's not going to start anymore trouble, is she?" Natsuno snarled, "I had hoped I had destroyed everyone with that fire."

"So you were the one who set it?" Seishin asked. He sighed and shook his head, straightening his glasses at the end of his nose, "No, Sunako and I will not cause you any further trouble. I'll even go find somewhere else to eat, if it'll make a difference."

Natsuno shook his head, "That won't be necessary, have a seat, I want to talk to you."

Tohru peeked through the door from the kitchen. He was equally surprised to see Seishin, but hesitant to come out and take Seishin's order. Natsuno and Seishin both sat down at one of the tables. "So, are you alone?" Seishin asked.

"Not quite," Natsuno admitted, giving a quick glance toward the kitchen, knowing Tohru was in there.

"I see. You have a Shiki with you, don't you?" Seishin asked.

"Straight to the point, Mr. Muroi," Natsuno replied. "Suppose I do? You said you and Sunako won't cause us any trouble."

Seishin nodded, "That I did, and we won't. But, you're a Jinrou, just as I am. It seems that in spite of our superior strength and senses compared to our Shiki cousins, we're much happier when we're serving the Shiki; often as bodyguards." Seishin rested his chin on his hands, and gave a wry little smile, as the light danced off his glasses, and he continued, "Even more so when it's the Shiki that sired us." He watched the look on Natsuno's face as he spoke these words. "So, it is the Mutou boy," he guessed, "Tohru was quite certain you were lost. I'm sure he's relieved to have you with him."

Natsuno shook his head, "I honestly don't know. He's grateful for my help, but seems equally confused that I'm doing so. The fact that he's the Shiki that turned me into what I am, do you honestly think that's why I'm with him?"

"I don't know why you're with him, but you must have done something special for him in order to transform into a Jinrou, rather than rising up as Shiki," Seishin replied.

"How do you figure that?" Natsuno asked.

"Think about it, Natsuno," Seishin replied, "Tatsumi always said there weren't very many Jinrou to begin with. Sunako wanted to see more of us. There were four of us in Sotoba. Tatsumi-whom you destroyed, Yoshie Kurahashi-who was shot by Seishirou, also your handiwork, I believe; a little hypnotism from a bite to the neck? Then of course, there was you, and then I became one myself in trying to rescue Sunako from the villagers. Tatsumi and Kurahashi both selflessly served Sunako and the other Shiki. I willingly allowed Tatsumi and Sunako both to feed from me on multiple occasions before and during the Sotoba Slaughter, and they gave me a few blood transfusions to keep me alive. I was mortally wounded by Ookawa Tomio, while fleeing the temple, after he and his unruly mob slaughtered my mother and the other monks in cold blood. I transformed into a Jinrou and arrived at the abandoned church just in time to kill the old man and rescue Sunako from him. So, Natsuno, what unselfish deed did you do for Mutou Tohru?"

"I willingly let him feed," Natsuno admitted, calmly. A look of surprise crossed Seishin's face at hearing this. "Doesn't add up with what he told you, does it?" Natsuno asked.

"Actually, some of what I remember him saying makes a little more sense," Seishin said.

"I didn't let him feed the first time," Natsuno explained. "Shimizu Megumi, she was smitten with me, the day she first laid eyes on me. But I had no interest in her. She was the first to rise up. When she was alive, I knew she would sneak out and spy on me while I was in my bedroom, so I started sleeping with the window shut. Once she passed, I thought it would be safe to start leaving the window open again. But I began to feel her watching me. At first, I thought it was my imagination, or that perhaps it was her spirit back to haunt me for refusing a postcard Kaori had tried to give me from her the day of the funeral. I started sleeping at Tohru-Chan's because I didn't feel safe at my place. The little pink-haired bitch had the nerve to attack him right in front of me, out of jealousy." Natsuno bit his lip, realizing what he'd just said, and remembering the man in front of him was a monk, "Excuse me, Mr. Muroi, I seem to have picked up some strong vocabulary since I turned."

Seishin shook his head, "I'm not bothered in the least, please continue."

Natsuno sighed and leaned back in his chair, "I couldn't move when she first entered Tohru-Chan's room. As soon as I could, I looked where I had seen her bite him, but there were no signs, so I dismissed it as a nightmare. I was devastated when I heard Dr. Ozaki pronounce him dead. I blamed myself, I thought I had seen something, but couldn't prove it, and Tohru-Chan was lost. If Tatsumi and Shimizu hadn't revealed themselves to me during that first attack, I never would have started hunting the Shiki. But since I knew about them, it was decided I had to be killed. Tatsumi sent Tohru-Chan after me, threatening Tohru's family. I let down my guard and let myself be lured out of my house when I realized he was one of them. Before I knew it, I was cornered; Shimizu on one side, begging me to let her be the one to bite me, and Tatsumi on the other. Tohru-Chan lept out of the trees and caught me from behind. Between the three of them, I'm glad it was him. I confronted him the next time around, but couldn't bring myself to hurt him. He was too much like himself. So, I offered him another way. I told him to run with me, and I would willingly give my blood, that we would try to find a way to coexist. He never had to hypnotize me. We didn't run, but I willingly gave my blood to keep him from attacking anyone else."

Seishin smiled and nodded, "Then I suppose it's true. We become Jinrou when we try to protect the Shiki that feed from us. That's why there's so few of us. We're not common ghouls, hypnotized into doing the Shiki's bidding, but we willingly give ourselves to them, and will go to any lengths to keep them safe." Seishin smiled at Natsuno, "Don't worry, Yuuki/Koide Natsuno, Sunako and I will leave you both in peace, if you agree to leave us be as well." Natsuno nodded, knowing Tohru had occasionally vocalized fears of any straggling Shiki from Sotoba coming after them. "I suppose he's fully reliant on you?" Seishin asked, "Even as Shiki and Jinrou, you're probably still the one pulling his leash?"

Natsuno shrugged, "To a point, I guess. It almost seems unfair, really. Tohru-Chan's older than I am, by three whole years; he was even learning to drive, yet, he always let me have my way, and even now, he's the Shiki that sired the Jinrou I've become, I should be the servant, but he's still letting me call all the shots, and we're claiming that he's my younger brother, since I'm the one who has to take care of things."

"Something tells me he doesn't mind. I wish you both the best," Seishin said, turning his attention to the kitchen, both Jinrou knew Tohru had been listening the whole time. "I'm ready to order, now, waiter," he called toward the kitchen.

Natsuno smirked, "Oi, Tohru-Chan, come on out here," Natsuno called.

Tohru came out and greeted Seishin, obviously relieved there was nothing to be worried about. He took down Seishin's order and he and Natsuno both retreated to the kitchen. Gradually, customers began to trickle in and out. Tohru and Natsuno both invited Seishin to become a regular, as proof that neither side harbored any ill toward the other. Finally, the night began to wane, and the boys closed up the restaurant. Natsuno was almost afraid Tohru would have to retreat to his room to sleep before everyone had left, or all the clean up was done, but they just did manage to finish before that happened.

Tohru sat, quietly chewing on the tip of his thumb, as he waited for the moment he would have to go retreat for a long day of sleep. He finally understood Natsuno's motivations. To be honest, he was a little relieved that Natsuno had opened up to him about them. Finally, Tohru couldn't wait any longer; he had an hour of night time left, he and Natsuno were alone, and he was going to make the best of it. He stormed into the kitchen, to find Natsuno putting the last of the dishes into the machine. He grabbed Natsuno's sleeve and gave it a light tug. "Natsuo," he said.

Natsuno looked up at Tohru, as he pushed the machine shut and pressed the button to turn it on. "What's wrong, Tohru-Chan?" he asked. Tohru didn't answer, he only took Natsuno's wrist in his hand and signaled for Natsuno to follow him. He lead Natsuno back to his bedroom, a room in the building they had picked out for it's lack of windows, it was pitch dark when Tohru pushed the door shut behind them. "Tohru-Chan, is everything ok?" Natsuno asked. The room may have been pitch black, but the two vampires had little trouble seeing each other.

"Natsuno," Tohru said softly, "I only have an hour left before sunrise. I don't want to go to sleep, but just like the hunger, it's something I can't fight. Will you stay with me for a while?"

Natsuno nodded. "Of course I will, Tohru-Chan," he agreed, a little confused by Tohru's actions.

Tohru smiled shyly and sat on the bed Natsuno had picked out for him, only he pulled Natsuno onto the bed with him. Before Natsuno could vocally question anything, he felt Tohru push him back on the bed, so they were laying next to each other, followed by Tohru's cold lips against his own warm ones. "Natsuno," Tohru whispered, "I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2 - Always

Note from Author: *Hangs head in embarrassment.* I wrote a second chapter. I had totally planned this to be a one-shot story, but found myself with ideas for a second chapter, and possibly even a third. Wrote this one; not sure if I'll do the third one, it wouldn't really fit with the rest of the story.

_**Chapter 2: Always**_

"Natsuno?" Tohru's voice called to him, as the blonde Okiagari popped his head from his bedroom. It had been a week since Tohru and Natsuno had admitted their feelings for each other and today marked a whole year since the Shiki-Human Slaughter of Sotoba. Tohru couldn't help finding it strange that Seishin and Sunako had decided to come out of hiding at the same time. Tohru slid out of his bedroom and into the hall, taking a few steps and looking around.

To honor their lost friends and family, Tohru and Natsuno had agreed to close the restaurant tonight, so the whole building was unsettling quiet. Tohru and Natsuno may have been in hiding for a year, but Tohru still hadn't become use to the night-time noises of the city. "Natsuno?" Tohru called again, a little more worried this time. Natsuno was usually there, the first thing Tohru saw when he woke up and the last thing he saw when he went to sleep.

Tohru really was just like a little lost puppy when it came to Natsuno. Both as a human, and as a Shiki, this was true, and he knew it. With a sigh, Tohru went to Natsuno's room. Maybe he had gone to take a nap and wasn't up yet? With a sigh, the frail little Vampire gently knocked at the door to the Jinrou's bedroom. "Natsuno?" Tohru waited a moment, and when no answer came from within, he gently pushed the door open and peaked in. No, Natsuno's bed didn't even look as though it had been used during the day.

"Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno's voice rang out from the front of the building, accompanied by the clanking of the restaurant door tapping against the wooden tassels that hung above it. As an Okiagari, Tohru had a natural apprehension to the sound of bells and metal rings, so they set up a wooden system to replace the bells that would ring to alert them to the arrival of a customer. Their ears were sensitive enough to pick up even that from anywhere within the building. Natsuno sighed, carrying several bags in his arms. He headed for the kitchen. He sat the bags down on counter. He could hear Tohru's footsteps as the Shiki came running down the hallway. Natsuno sighed and readied himself for the inevitable… Yep, there it was, Tohru pounced him from behind.

"Natsuno!" Tohru said, throwing his arms around the Jinrou.

"Well," Natsuno said dryly with a cool smile, "I see you're already awake. Sorry I'm late, Tohru-Chan. I was caught in a long line at the store, traffic wasn't much better." He turned to face Tohru.

These last few months, Tohru had slowly been becoming more and more like his old self, less melancholy; more energetic and happy-go lucky, all touchy-feely, and playfully childish. This was the Tohru that Natsuno had come to know and love, the complete contrast to his own normal cool and calm, stand-offish demeanor. If being with him meant helping him get back to that point, it only made things even more meaningful for Natsuno. Tohru still harbored guilt and grief for all that he had done in Sotoba after rising up as a Shiki, but while none of Tohru's other victims had the chance to do so, Natsuno had at least forgiven him. Rather than allow that guilt to ruin him, to hold him back, to destroy his mind and strip him of his humanity, he had made up his mind to work with Natsuno to find a way to coexist with the humans, and to use that guilt as a way to control himself should the hunger ever over take him as severely as it use to. It seemed, at least to him, this was the best way he could honor them.

Tohru blinked at Natsuno for a moment, remembering not too long ago when Natsuno would push him away or slap at him for physical displays of affection and calling him by his first name. A smile, even half a smile use to be rare to come from him. Tohru folded his hands together behind his back, looking curiously at Natsuno as he thought back on this. "Say, Natsuno?" Tohru asked leaning inward, almost expecting such a reaction.

"What's up, Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru blinked. The restaurant was closed, they were alone and could talk freely. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath before asking. "Wow, not a single complaint or objection?"

Natsuno looked at Tohru, "For what?" he asked, as he began emptying the bags and putting away the groceries.

Tohru blinked again, his eyes quietly following Natsuno around the kitchen. "You use to get mad when I called you by your first name," Tohru said. "I was just thinking, I haven't heard you complain about it, lately?"

Natsuno smirked. "When we were in Sotoba, all I wanted was to get out, back to the city," he started explaining, "I was trying my hardest not to make any connections that would get in the way of that. Friends and lovers, anything emotional like that would have made it difficult for me to leave when the time came. So, I tried to keep others from becoming too close, not just for myself, but to prevent from hurting them as well." Natsuno brushed a stray strand of purple hair out of his face. "But a certain rebelliously childish blonde refused to accept 'no' for an answer," he said, looking directly at Tohru.

"Oh, gee," Tohru laughed sheepishly, trying to play innocent and rubbing the back of his head, "I wonder who that could be?"

Natsuno chuckled softly and walked back over to Tohru, gently wrapping his strong arms around the fragile blonde Shiki's body. "But, there's not much point in complaining when my own family calls me by my given name."

Tohru smiled and gently placed his hands on Natsuno's arms. Natsuno had filled out all the paperwork, listing Tohru as a younger brother, registering them both under his father's name Yuuki, rather than his mother's Koide, like on Natsuno's original birth certificate; this of course meant Natsuno also swapped the dates for their birth, making himself three years older and Tohru the younger. With Natsuno being taller and stronger, and Tohru physically smaller, this would actually be easy to pass off. But Tohru knew that wasn't quite what Natsuno meant when he used the term 'family,' that was just a story for those on the outside of what they had been through, of what they had together.

"Natsuno," Tohru whispered, "Hold me like this for just a little while longer?" He knew he couldn't keep Natsuno too long before the groceries had to be put up, but he gently nuzzled Natsuno's arm. "You're so warm."

Natsuno smiled softly at his Tohru-Chan. He was so hard to say no to. He ran his fingers through the blonde teen Shiki's unkempt hair. "Just a little while. I can't let the food spoil." Tohru nodded. Natsuno jerked, when his fingers brushed against Tohru's skin. "Tohru-Chan? You're cold, colder than usual. Are you feeling alright?" Neither of them had been Okiagari for long. Was it possible there were ways that even the undead could get sick?

"I'm fine," Tohru answered, mater of factly, "Maybe a little hungry, perhaps. You weren't exactly around when I woke up."

Natsuno nodded in understanding. "I have been spoiling you with well-timed feedings lately, haven't I?" he replied, with a sigh of relief. "Alright," he said gently tapping his finger on Tohru's forehead, "Help me finish putting up the food, and I'll feed you."

Tohru nodded in agreement and began to help put away the groceries. Finally, they were down to one last bag, unlike the other plastic see-through ones, this one was a brown paper bag, and Natsuno had been quite animate about keeping Tohru out of it until the very end. Now that it was the only bag left, Natsuno picked it up in his right hand, and caught hold of Tohru's wrist with his left. Tohru looked up at Natsuno, quizzically. "Natsuo?" he chirped, purposely leaving out the 'n' in Natsuno's name, as he sometimes did.

Natsuno tilted his head toward the hallway, signaling for Tohru to follow him, "Come on, Tohru-Chan, let's go back to your room," he suggested. Tohru smiled and nodded again, quietly, yet happily following his Jinrou back to the bedrooms. Tohru was becoming increasingly curious about that bag.

Natsuno pushed open the door to Tohru's room and flicked a switch on the wall. The room light up with soft incandescent lights, a couple of lava lamps, and plasma globes. The two Vampires could see in the dark, but still wanted to keep their portions of the house light to some degree. The lava lamps and plasma globes fit with Tohru's playful nature and didn't use any UV or Phosphorous-making them safe for the Okiagari, and Natsuno never cared for the brightness of the lights that used Mercury to begin with. The rest of the building, especially the public areas, were light up with the dimmest lights they could legally get away with and still pass the public safety codes. Setting the bag on the floor next to him, Natsuno sat on the bed and took off his shirt, signaling for Tohru to come to him. In the blink of an eye, Tohru was upon him, having decided to playfully pounce him, again.

Natsuno managed to hold himself upright when he felt the weight of Tohru's body flung against his, but he suddenly regretted taking off his shirt, as the Shiki's body was still so cold to the touch. Tohru was always like that, though. When they were alive, Tohru's body was so skinny he had trouble properly generating body heat-perhaps that's why he was always so energetic and had such a voracious appetite-it helped keep him warm. Of course, he still had some human warmth to him, then, but his body was still cool to the touch. Now, as a Shiki, he was naturally colder than usual, and Natsuno had noticed that whether or not Tohru had eaten did make some difference. "You get your pick on where to bite, tonight," Natsuno whispered.

Tohru quietly smiled and ran his eyes and fingers gently over Natsuno's perfectly chiseled body, looking for just the right vein to sink his teeth into. He finally decided on a spot on the nape of Natsuno's neck. Tohru's eyes changed as he became ready to feed, his pupils glowing red right before he bit in. He could feel Natsuno flinch as the fangs pierced the skin. Tohru closed his eyes and began to drink, taking in Natsuno's warmth, his scent, his taste. At that moment, the rest of the world could melt away, Tohru was aware of himself and all that was Natsuno, and he savored every moment of it, and that was all that needed to exist for him for now. He felt Natsuno's body stiffen as the Jinrou willingly surrendered himself. Tohru happily drank his fill. Pulling away, he gently licked clean the wound on Natsuno's neck as it healed, then licked his lips to catch any of the red life-giving liquid that might have tried to escape him.

"You satisfied, now?" Natsuno asked calmly as he felt the wound heal.

"Uh-huh," Tohru nodded, happily. "Say, Natsuno?" Tohru asked quietly.

"Hm?" Natsuno looked up at Tohru.

"Does it… Does it hurt when I bite you?" Tohru asked. "You always seem to flinch."

"No more than a mosquito bite," Natsuno replied with a smirk. "I feel slight discomfort when the skin is punctured, like getting a shot. After that…" Natsuno blushed slightly, "It's rather enjoyable. Maybe it's just because you're so gentle." He smiled at Tohru and rustled a hand through the Shiki's already messy tuff of blonde hair. "I just have to remember this is one mosquito I can't swat away," he teased. He reached down and picked up the paper bag, handing it to Tohru. "Here, I know you're curious what's in there. I got it for you. I remembered you use to have one in your room just like it. Though, I think you kept trying to hide it from me, because it was tucked into a different hiding place every time I slept over."

Tohru blinked at him curiously and slowly opened the bag. It was a stuffed bear. Natsuno quietly watched the look on Tohru's face. He didn't think it was possible for a Shiki to blush, but he was almost certain he could see Tohru's face turning an adorably embarrassed red. "You really did find one just like it! Oh God…" Tohru chuckled nervously, "Of all people to know I still had that old thing. I did my best to keep you from finding it."

"Don't tell me you hid it because you thought I'd belittle you for it?" Natsuno asked.

"Well, it's just that you were so cool, Natsuno. I didn't want you to think I was some kind of freak that still slept with stuffed animals," Tohru admitted.

Natsuno pushed himself further back on the bed, until his back was against the wall, his eyes staying on Tohru's face, all the while. "You had invited me in, I saw you stuff something out of the way, like you were trying to hide it. I waited for a moment when you had left the room, and looked to see what it was. I kept quiet that I had found it. After that, it was like a game, every time I came over to look for where you'd stuffed it. If it had been anyone but you, I might have thought it a little strange, but keeping a stuffed animal seemed to fit your style, Tohru-Chan." Tohru's blush grew even brighter. "Anyway, I saw that one in the window and thought I'd get it for you. I figured maybe having something that would remind you of home could help you sleep a little more peacefully during the day, and this time you won't have to worry about hiding it."

There it was, Natsuno's long sought prize. Tohru smiled at him. Not one of his forlorn, melancholy smiles, but one of his childish, happy smiles full of his boyish charm and energy. He hadn't seen Tohru smile like that since the last time they had been together before Tohru's burial service. Natsuno had been trying so hard to bring back that smile, the very smile that had spell-bound him to Tohru in the first place. That was one thing Natsuno found he could be thankful about their situation. He'd spent so much time fretting over his future, never thinking about how as humans he and Tohru would have both been fated to eventually grow old and die. Maybe it was shallow of him to take solace in the fact that having become the undead that they are now, the two of them would be eternally locked in their youthful splendor, he in his strong body, and Tohru in his beautifully slender one. There was no need to worry with a college now, give himself a few years and if they had to move, Natsuno could reregister the two of them, claiming them both to be the same age, if they wanted to try for a college, they could find one with night classes to enter together, of course dorm life would be out of the question, should they decide on such a move, because no matter what they do or where they go, Tohru would have to sleep somewhere safe from the sun. After all the anger he'd felt about Tohru and himself being turned, after all the nightmares, all the trauma both emotionally and physically the two of them had endured, in the end, they still had each other, both unchanging for the rest of their days. In an ironic way, when Natsuno thought everything had been stripped from him, in truth this twist of fate had given him and Tohru both a new start, and a second chance together. "Hmh," he thought to himself, "Perhaps I should have thanked you after all, Shimizu."

Tohru threw his arms around Natsuno, shaking the Jinrou from his thoughts. "Thank you, Natsuno, I love it," he squeaked happily.

"I'm glad," Natsuno said, hugging Tohru. "You're welcome, Tohru-Chan." His grip on the blonde Shiki was strong and sturdy, but equally gentle. To Natsuno, Tohru's frame had always seemed so fragile. Sure, as an Okiagari, Tohru was stronger than he looked, but Natsuno was also a lot stronger now, too. Either way, the Jinrou couldn't help worrying that he might break Tohru if he wasn't careful enough with him.

Tohru slid off of Natsuno's lap and settled in next to him, resting his head on Natsuno's shoulder, the stuffed animal squished between them. Natsuno gave a quiet smirk, feeling the plushy brush against his hip; Tohru was breaking the poor thing in as a 'snuggle' item already. A moment of silence passed between them, the two of them were completely content in sharing each other's company. After a while, Tohru turned to look, finding Natsuno had fallen asleep sitting up. "Well, I did drink a little more than normal, tonight," Tohru admitted, "I suppose a quick nap will help him recuperate faster." He smiled and leaned in, pushing his face close to Natsuno's. "Falling asleep in my bed?" he smirked, gently pushing Natsuno over with one of his fingers. He watched as Natsuno flopped over onto the bed, without so much as waking up. Tohru couldn't help but giggle. "Yep, just like old times!" He jumped off the bed, pulling the covers over the sleeping Jinrou, then settled down in the floor, turning on a small TV and booting up a video game.

Clearly, it wasn't just well-timed feedings Natsuno had been spoiling him with. It's true what Natsuno had told Muroi Seishin, Tohru never once had to hypnotize him. Natsuno had always been, and will probably always be the dominant personality between the two of them, but Tohru always knew just the right way to look, or smile, or sigh to get his way with Natsuno. Yes, Natsuno was the one truly holding Tohru's leash, but he could never say 'no' to Tohru. Tohru sat the stuffed bear in his lap, resting his wrist on its head, with controller in hand. "Maybe Natsuno'll play a few rounds with me when he wakes up," Tohru smirked.

A Few Weeks Later

Tohru was working in the kitchen. The restaurant was full of customers tonight, and he was the only one there to keep the place going. Natsuno had left earlier for an errand. Tohru was still asleep when Natsuno left, and he was sure he wouldn't be back before Tohru woke up, so at least this time he'd left a note to keep Tohru from worrying. However, hours had passed now, and Tohru had considered calling in Seishin for help with the kitchen until Natsuno returned.

"Where is he?" Tohru sighed, almost a little frustrated, as he stirred the fried rice he was preparing. "Maybe I should call Mr. Muroi. I doubt Natsuno would mind if I asked for help until he got back."

"Do you always talk to yourself?" a soft feminine voice rang out from behind him.

Tohru turned to find a girl standing in the doorway. She was one of their regular customers. Though he'd never voice concerns over it, Tohru had began to suspect this girl only came around to see Natsuno. Natsuno was nice to her because she was a regular, but never showed any signs of further interest than that. Maybe that's why Tohru didn't perceive her as enough of a threat to get jealous over her flirtatious behavior. After all, he'd tolerated Shimizu's constant incipit doting over Natsuno back in Sotoba; at least this one hadn't turned into stalker material just yet. "Oh, I'm just thinking out loud," Tohru laughed nervously. "Great," he thought to himself, "Now I'm not just alone in a house full of humans I have to cook for, but I've got one right under my nose and haven't eaten yet. Natsuno, hurry up and get back here."

The girl's eyes surveyed the room. "Where's your brother?" she asked.

"He ran out on an errand and hasn't come back yet," Tohru answered casually.

"So you're alone tonight?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Tohru answered nervously.

"Too bad," she sighed, "I was hoping to see him."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were," Tohru thought, as he began plating the next three orders he had to take out.

"Did he say when he was coming back?" she asked.

"No, I expected him back long before now," Tohru answered. He was keeping his answers short and brisk, not because he didn't like her, but because he was becoming aggravated with the situation. He was starting to feel hungry, and having this little city tart in the kitchen wasn't helping with that. He couldn't bite his finger tips, while handling the customers' food, so he had resorted to scraping his tongue across his teeth.

"Maybe he ran out?" she giggled, half teasing.

"Huh?" Tohru looked up at her. "What do you mean ran out?"

"Nah, your brother doesn't seem the type," she said. "Forget I said anything." She turned to head back toward the dining area.

Tohru frowned at her. God, how long had it been since someone had said or done something to actually make him frown that seriously? He honestly couldn't remember. "Hold on, just a minute now!" he insisted. "If you've got something to say to me, say it?"

She stopped in her tracks. She had picked up something almost inhuman in Tohru's voice just now, and it frightened her. She turned back to face him, watching as he flung the stirring spoon on the counter top. Tohru had brought in a number of regular admirers himself, both male and female alike. He was one of those people who was hard to make mad, and the customers loved that about him. "I really didn't mean anything by it," she said apologetically. She couldn't believe her words had upset him that much. "It's just that…" She shuffled awkwardly. "Well, I understand he's been taking care of you on his own for a while. I've heard you have some kind of illness that makes it hard for you to go outside. That in itself seems strange with how hyper you usually act, apparently it's got nothing to do with your energy levels. Whatever it is, the burden to take care of you has fallen on him. In some families where one of the siblings is weaker and sickly all the time, the stronger ones tend to come to resent all the attention that one receives."

Tohru looked at her, with a deadpan serious face, only raising a single eyebrow. To be honest, she sounded more like she had been describing Murasako Maso than Natsuno, but he already had an idea where she was going with this. "So you were suggesting he got fed up and just ran out?" Tohru asked, sounding really annoyed. This frightened her even more, and Tohru could sense it, and he didn't care. He was all the way on the other side of the room from her, and even through the aroma of all that cooking, his eyes were so focused on her that he could smell her blood over it all. She didn't mean to offend him, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that this was the indeed the foolish little thought that had passed through her mind.

With a blink of her eyes, Tohru was right in front of her, staring her down. She suddenly felt his cold hand slap across her face. She gasped, throwing her hand to her still stinging cheek. "Don't you ever suggest such a thing again," Tohru snarled. "You don't know what he and I have been through, and I hope you never do. But understand this, Natsuno's not the kind of person who would just up and leave someone hanging when they need his help. Now, get the hell out of my kitchen, and if that's the way you really see him, you can just leave all together, and don't bother coming back."

"I… I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to… Oh, God, I spoke without thinking," she stammered.

Tohru bit down, hard, on his tongue and turned away from her. "Whatever, just get out of the kitchen," he instructed her, quietly. "Still, even with all that said, just where are you Natsuno?" he thought to himself, as he returned to the food on the stove. He shook his head, trying to keep it clear and focused. Tohru couldn't remember having ever struck anyone like that before, not his brother or sister, not even Shimizu-regardless of how much she may have deserved it at times. Tohru sighed and picked up the meals he needed to carry out. "Well, for now at least," he said to himself, forcing a smile back onto his face, he had to calm down, there was no way he could serve these customers tonight if he became angry. He had a monster within him that he had to keep under control. "I can be glad that's the worst of my sins tonight." He took out the meals, apologizing for the slow service, explaining he's short staffed for the night.

Tohru quickened his pace, making polite conversation with some of the regulars as he went. It cheered him up a little. Finally, he came to her table. She was still there, and just as shaken as when she first heard that demanding tone in Tohru's voice. "You're still here?" he asked, meekly, if she stayed, clearly his words had gotten through to some degree, and he was going to at least try to be civil as long as she was a patron there.

She nodded, quietly. "Your hands are so cold," she whispered.

"Sorry about that," Tohru said, sitting across from her. "I don't know what possessed me to do that." He almost felt like telling her how lucky she was that's all he'd done to her, but he knew better.

She shook her head. "No, you're right. I have no right to talk like that, because I don't understand your situation. I never meant to suggest he would do something like that. It's clear you and your brother are very close, and that he's very protective of you. I simply spoke without thinking. I… I've known people in the past, where that was the situation, and I spoke in poor jest. I'm sorry for it."

"Yeah, just drop it," Tohru sighed. "I shouldn't have acted that way, either. I'm just overwhelmed taking care of this place by myself when it's so busy tonight." He was using all his willpower to focus only on the job at hand. He could feel himself becoming a ticking time bomb.

"We heard you snapped at her," another girl called from the table next to them. Tohru looked up, it was two more of Natsuno's regulars sitting there.

"Maybe she should wear a bell so she doesn't sneak up on you next time?" the second girl at the other table giggled.

Tohru flinched at just hearing the word, 'bell'. Though, he knew they were trying to tease her more than him. "Don't!" he said in a commanding tone, that caused the entire restaurant to fall silent. He stood up and looked at all three of the girls. "Don't joke like that," he said, retaining as much composure as he could. He flipped around and looked back at the first girl and forced a deep breath. "So, are you going to place an order?" he asked.

The girl nodded hesitantly and gave her order. Tohru then went to the other two girls, taking their orders as well. As he finished writing down the order, he explained to them, in short controlled breaths, "What I'm going to do, is bring out the orders for all three of you at the same time. I want you two to go sit over there with her. Natsuno isn't here tonight. He may not even make it back before closing time. I want you three at the same table, I want you all to finish, pay, and leave at the same time, tonight, and don't part ways until you reach your houses." He looked up at the girls, making sure he was at an angle where he could see all three of them. "Safety in numbers," he said with a smirk, as he turned and stalked back toward the kitchen.

As the two girls grabbed their purses to move to the table with the other, he heard one of them remark, "Jees, what's eatin' him?"

Tohru froze in his tracks, clenched his fist and took a deep breath, with his eyes closed. "Just keep walking, Tohru," he told himself, "Just keep walking!"

Finally, Natsuno made it back. He knew Tohru was going to berate him for being gone so long and leaving him to take care of things on his own. It wasn't like him at all. The restaurant was empty and quiet, all the lights were off. Tohru must have closed early, but Natsuno could hear dishes slamming around in the kitchen. Natsuno slipped inside and went straight to the kitchen. "Tohru-Chan?" he called.

SLAM! Tohru through the door to the dishwasher shut and spun around to look at Natsuno. "Tell me something?" he said with an exasperated gasp, seeing Natsuno. "Why is it that whenever the regulars, be it male or female decide to come in here and flirt with me, I can see the jealousy in your eyes, but I don't say a word one about your admirers, and yet they're always the ones who try to cause trouble?"

Natsuno looked at Tohru for a moment, bewildered. "What did I miss?" he thought. No, Tohru was clearly not in the mood for such a question. He couldn't recall having ever seen Tohru this upset. "Tohru-Chan, I'm…"

Tohru threw up his hands, "No, Natsuno," he sighed. "I'm not asking for an explanation on where you've been, or why you've been gone this long. I don't care right now. I don't even want an apology." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "But next time you're not here, I'm calling Mr. Muroi to help me. I should have done so tonight, but I wasn't sure if Sunako would be willing to give him up that long."

Natsuno still didn't know what to say or do. He'd always heard that the harder a person is to make mad, the worse off they are when it finally happens. Tohru being a Shiki probably magnified that ten fold. "Tohru-Chan, what happened?" he asked, legitimately concerned.

Tohru sighed, trying to calm down. Natsuno was here, now, that's what mattered. Before he could say anything, though he sank to his knees, feeling completely wiped out. "Tohru-Chan!" Natsuno rushed to his side and caught hold off him, as he looked like he was about to swoon.

Tohru closed his eyes and sighed, taking in Natsuno's scent. "So tired," he moaned.

Natsuno helped Tohru to his feet and lead him back to his bedroom. Taking off his shirt, he sat on Tohru's bed, allowing the Shiki to use him as a prop. "Here," he offered, holding up his arm, knowing Tohru must be starving by this point. Tohru had considered turning it away, it would have made him feel better, but he was almost too weak to stand the thought of it. "Tohru-Chan?" Tohru could hear the concern in Natsuno's voice. He closed his eyes and forced himself to bite into Natsuno's arm. Natsuno flinched, even more violently than usual. Tohru had to bite down extra hard this time, just to force his fangs through the skin, causing more discomfort than usual.

Natsuno had noticed, in the month that had past since the Sotoba Anniversary that Tohru had been trying to pace himself with his feeding, lately, taking less each night. Well, that was going to stop tonight. "Drink your fill," Natsuno insisted. "You've got to stop trying to starve yourself, Tohru-Chan." He sighed, "I tried to get back as quickly as I could, but I had no idea you were so weak. I never would have left in the first place."

Tohru didn't argue, didn't struggle, he continued to drink from Natsuno's arm until he couldn't drink any more. He closed his eyes and leaned back on Natsuno's chest, not even making the effort to clean his face. Natsuno sighed and found something to wipe Tohru's mouth clean. It really was like caring for a child sometimes, but Natsuno didn't really mind it all that much. Tohru nuzzled himself into Natsuno's chest. "Natsuo?" he sighed, his eyes still closed.

"Yeah?" Natsuno responded.

Tohru's hands grabbed Natsuno's wrist and held on tight, in a death grip. Tohru could already feel himself going to sleep, it was still hours before sunrise, but he didn't have the strength to stay awake. "Stay with me until I wake up?"

Natsuno nodded. "Alright."

"Thank you," Tohru sighed, happily.

Natsuno kept his word and stayed at Tohru's side all through the remaining night, and the following day. Finally, the next night was upon them, and Natsuno could feel Tohru stirring. "Finally awake?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," came the groggy yawning reply.

"Good, now, eat!" Natsuno demanded, pushing his arm in Tohru's face. "And don't skimp like you have been," he said sounding a bit annoyed, "If you pull away, you'd better damned well be full. I don't want another scare like last night."

Tohru only nodded as he bit into Natsuno's arm. He couldn't blame Natsuno for reacting like this; after all, when he came home last night, it was to an Okiagari who-as far as Natsuno knew-hadn't fed the whole night and was at the height of both mental and physical frustration after being alone in a building full of humans. Tohru obediently did as he was told and drank his fill before releasing Natsuno's arm. "I'm sorry about last night," he said as he watched Natsuno's arm heal.

"What happened? You were a mess," Natsuno said.

Tohru turned and looked at Natsuno, almost ashamed of himself. "Well… We may have three less regulars from now on," he sighed. "It took every inch of my sanity to wait on you to come back, Natsuno," he admitted, "I almost… Oh, God, I really wanted to."

Natsuno raised an eyebrow. "Tohru-Chan?" he said flatly. "What did you do?" Tohru looked away at the floor, he felt like a child being scolded by his mother, and explaining the situation almost felt like he was tattling. "You didn't…?"

"NO!" Tohru exclaimed defensively. "Natsuno, you have to believe me, I didn't bite anyone. I promised you no one but you, ever again." Natsuno sighed, he believed Tohru completely. "But, I did end up slapping someone," Tohru sighed.

"You what?" Natsuno sounded more surprised than angry. No matter how hard he tried, he really couldn't picture Tohru slapping anybody.

Tohru sighed and explained. "There are three girls who come in here all the time, the ones who always ask for you. If they ever come back, they probably won't deal with me at all. I had them all pretty scared by the time they left."

"What the hell did they do?" Natsuno asked, he wasn't mad at Tohru in the least, he was still in shock that these girls could have done anything to make him so upset.

"When one of them found out you weren't here, she came to the kitchen. She said she didn't mean to imply it, even said she was making a joke in poor taste. But, she said you sounded like you had run out on me," Tohru pushed his back to the wall and hugged his knees up to his chest. "The entire kitchen was between me and her, but I could smell her, even over all the food, I could smell her perfume, her sweat, her blood, I smelt it all. When I told her to stay where she was and explain what made her say such a thing, I could smell her fear. Before either of us knew it, I was right there in front of her, all she did was blink, and I had made it across the entire room." Tohru shook his head. "I could have bit her then and there, almost did. I slapped her instead and told her to leave the kitchen. She didn't leave the restaurant, though." Tohru sighed, looking up at Natsuno, who was trying to hide an amused smile. "Maybe she was hoping you'd come along and she could tell you what happened before I did, looking to get me in trouble. Or maybe just seeing you would have made her feel better, I don't know. But even scared out of her wits, she decided to stay and eat. The other two girls were sitting together across from her. They tried to make light of the situation, I don't know what she told them, but they suggested she wear a bell so she couldn't sneak up on me next time." Tohru smirked and shook his head, resting his chin on his hands, with his elbows on his knees. "I took the order for all three of them, made them all sit at the same table, brought out their food, and told them all to leave at the same time and not to split up until they made their way home. Explaining a fear of bells to humans? They would have thought it irrational. It caused quite a stir with the other customers, though."

Natsuno bit his lip, trying not to laugh at Tohru. "I'm sorry you had a rough night, Tohru-Chan," he said, "But I'm glad no one got hurt."

"She just made me so mad, Natsuo!" Tohru said, "And I really couldn't understand why. It was like she had impugned your honor. She was an outsider, not understanding what we have, knowing nothing about either of us. She was talking about families with sick children, and how sometimes the healthier sibling resents the weaker one and try to rebel or run away when the task falls to them to take care of them. I knew you weren't like that, Natsuno. That may be the lie we're telling people, but in a way it's true. But, you're not the kind of person who would just walk away without a word."

Tohru sighed. "I think I understand why you didn't like being in Sotoba, now. They say that when a person moves from the city, out to somewhere isolated like that, they don't sleep easy at night their first few nights there. They're use to the hustle and bustle of the city, the sounds of the city. Not the still quiet of a country night, where the only sounds are the wind through the leaves and the occasional nocturnal animal, and the moon and stars are the only light offered. It's a psychological blow to make such a change, to become so isolated, and it takes some time getting use to. Sotoba was a small village in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fir trees. I grew up out there, with a happy family of five, I was friends with everyone I met, and I wasn't about to let you be the first person to escape that," he chuckled. "To me, Sotoba was warm and comforting, not isolating at all. But it was for you." Tohru sighed. "I understand that now. It works both ways. I'm here in this city, I can't go and enjoy the warmth of the sun like you can. There's lights day and night, and sounds and sirens all the time. I'm going to have to make new friends if we want to fit in. But, I don't have a home I can run back to. My friends and family are all gone." His cold hands caressed Natsuno's warm ones and he looked Natsuno dead in the eyes. Tohru looked like he was doing his best not to cry. "I've always been childish and unreliable," he begrudgingly admitted, "But that's just who I am. I won't deny I'm a bit cowardly, too. Heck, I'm older than you, but feel safer when you're with me. Natsuno, you're all I have left. Deep down, I know you won't leave, but the fact that they even dared to put such an idea in my head last night was more than I could bare. Promise me, Natsuno? Promise you won't leave and take away the only warmth I have left in this world?" Tohru could feel his face flush red as he said these words.

Natsuno looked at him, quietly for a second. It may have been in poor taste of him at the moment, but he thought being his usual self would cheer Tohru up a little, perhaps even lighten the mood. He gave Tohru a half-hearted smile. "Idiot… You can be such a woman sometimes," he teased.

Tohru frowned, but it wasn't really an angry frown, he knew what Natsuno was trying to do. "Jerk!" Tohru said, swatting Natsuno in the face with his pillow, unable to hold back a laugh, "I'm trying to be serious here, and you're teasing me."

"Ok, I totally deserved that," Natsuno admitted, as Tohru took another swing with the pillow. "But it was worth it."

Tohru came in for a third strike with the pillow, only to find both his wrists caught by Natsuno, who pushed him back onto the bed and pinned him to it. Tohru blushed, his eyes widening a little, and began to squirm. "N…Natsu…?"

Natsuno picked up the stuffed bear, with one hand, keeping his other on Tohru's wrists. He looked at the bear, then at Tohru, with a mischievous grin. "Yeah, I don't think Mr. Bear needs to see what's about to happen," he chuckled, stuffing the bear under the bed.

Tohru's eyes widened even further as the gorgeous, shirtless Jinrou turned his attention back to him. He stopped squirming as Natsuno climbed back on to the bed, as he could feel one of Natsuno's knees poised right between his legs. Both of Natsuno's hands were holding Tohru's hands above his head, and Natsuno leaned in, just close enough for Tohru to feel the warmth of his body. Tohru blushed. If his heart could race, it certainly would be. Tohru looked away. "Now you're just not playing fair," he whimpered.

"I'll stop, if you want me to," Natsuno said. Tohru shook his head. Natsuno smiled. "That's what I thought." He caught Tohru's chin and turned his gaze back to him. Natsuno's voice was calm and cool, but Tohru found it all so sweet, "Everything's going to be alright, Tohru-Chan." Natsuno gave him a reassuring smile and leaned in, gently kissing Tohru's lips. "No matter what anyone else may say, I'm not going anywhere, Tohru-Chan. I promised you I'd take care of you, and I always keep my promises. As for what you just said about yourself, some of what you said was true. But I've never known you to be unreliable, if you say you're going to do something, you do it, even if it is on your own time. But that's what makes you you." Natsuno smiled as Tohru blushed and moaned in response to the warmth of the Jinrou's body. Tohru let out a gasp as Natsuno leaned in and his warm breath and lips gently caressed his cold neck in a playful kiss. "You are, always have been, and always will be _my_ Tohru-Chan," Natsuno whispered.


	3. Chapter 3 - First and Only

Note from Author: Yep, I went and wrote a chapter 3. This one's a bit bolder than the other two, but I'm still trying to keep things on a tame, tasteful level. I had fun writing this one. When I plotted out the bit about, "Mr. Bear doesn't need to see this," I had trouble keeping myself from laughing at the mental image. Likewise, Tohru's replies to Natsuno's regulars in this chapter had me smiling as I planned them, and since I was work at the time, I had to be careful not to break out in laughter over the idea. So, yeah, I had to come home and write Chapter 3 after that.

_**Chapter 3: First and Only**_

The water ran down Natsuno's face and chest, his wet purple locks framing his face. He didn't have to look to know Tohru was shyly peeking in through the door. He could feel Tohru watching him. Not that he cared that Tohru was there, but the 'Peeping Tom' thing was beginning to give him flashbacks to Shimizu, and making him a little uncomfortable. "Tohru!" he called in a commanding tone.

"Wow, even with the water in your face you knew I was here?" Tohru asked pushing the door open just enough for himself to slip inside, before closing it.

"You want to watch fine," Natsuno said, ignoring Tohru's remark, "But don't just stalk about like that, alright?"

Tohru froze upon hearing this, and almost instantly realized what Natsuno was getting at. "Oh, right, sorry," Tohru said. "Maybe I should delete these pictures I just took, then, too?"

"Pictures?"

Tohru giggled and showed Natsuno a few pictures he'd snapped through the door. "I was considering showing them off to your little admirers when they come in tonight, rub it in their faces I got them, then sell off to the highest bidder."

Natsuno shot Tohru a silent look and Tohru smiled mischievously, understanding immediately what that look meant, _"What the hell made you even consider such a thing? You dare to even try and I'll hang you up by your toes!"_

Tohru giggled. "Don't worry, Natsuno. I'd only show them the ones from the waist up." He slipped up beside the tub and reached inside, gently playing with one of Natsuno's soaking wet purple curls. "… The rest are mine!"

Natsuno gave the blonde Shiki one of his 'whatever' smiles. "You're an idiot, Tohru-Chan," he said trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, I know," Tohru chirped, happily.

Natsuno reached out of the tub and grabbed the camera out of Tohru's hands, tossing it across the room onto his stack of towels, to keep it away from the water. Before Tohru had a chance to react, in one swift, fell motion, he found himself pulled into the tub, clothes and all. Natsuno smiled at him. "But you're my idiot," he said, leaning in and kissing Tohru's forehead.

"Natsuno, my clothes are getting soaked!" Tohru protested as his face flushed red. It was kind of funny, this seemed like a stunt Tohru would have pulled on Natsuno when they were still humans back in Sotoba. One thing was obvious; those Vampire stories about how they couldn't touch or cross running water didn't seem to hold true. Maybe that was just certain types of Vampires? Either way, showering wasn't exactly something the boys had to do anymore, but were capable of and continued to do out of habit.

Tohru's honey-blonde locks became soaked. He stopped complaining about his clothes getting wet as he shook them out of his face, when he opened his eyes, they had landed directly on Natsuno's chest. Tohru blushed. "Whoa… Oh, Mamma, give me some of that," he moaned.

Natsuno put a finger on Tohru's forehead, he didn't need to apply any pressure to keep arm's length between them. "No eating in the tub," Natsuno chuckled, teasingly.

"Aaaw…" Tohru pouted. "Ok, I'll wait. … But I want more than just your arm tonight."

Natsuno smiled. "You know where the best spots are, Tohru-Chan," he assured the Shiki, with a wink. Finally, Natsuno shut off the water and climbed out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist and fluffing his hair with another. Tohru peeled off his wet clothes as Natsuno tossed him a towel.

Tohru dried off as quickly as he could and snatched up his camera. Whether he showed those pictures off to the girls or not, he was determined he wasn't going to leave it lying around for Natsuno to delete them.

The two Okiagari finished drying off and went back to their rooms to get dressed. Before putting on a shirt, Natsuno went back to Tohru's room to let the Shiki feed, letting Tohru choose where to bite, just as promised.

Soon, it was time for them to open the restaurant. Tohru had decided to lock the camera in the drawer in his bedside table. Sure, Natsuno was strong enough he could force the drawer open if he wanted, but Tohru knew he wouldn't.

Natsuno worked in the kitchen, letting Tohru handle the customers. The teenaged Vampire had been fully fed and could be trusted amongst the humans without overtly close supervision. Though, it wasn't like it mattered, Natsuno's senses were strong enough, even without drinking human blood, that he could hear everything that happened outside in the dining hall, and could come in if anything went awry.

Natsuno found it all rather ironic. He'd always been a city boy, and yet, at the same time-as a human-he had been an introvert; creating his own energy by passing time quietly with no-one around, or at least in small groups of people he felt comfortable around. Now, he was a Jinrou, an Okiagari who could feed on human blood to make himself stronger, but didn't need to do so as he could still eat human food. Tohru on the other hand, while being the charming country boy he was, was the complete opposite. Tohru had always been the center of attention, an extrovert, through and through, the more people he could make smile, the more energy he seemed to have. Perfect, fitting, stupid, cruel irony that having become a Shiki, the once gentle boy still needed others to give him his energy, even if it were in a different way. Why was it that for everything Natsuno was, Tohru was his exact polar opposite? Introvert and Extrovert. Hot and Cold. Jinrou and Shiki. Strong and Fragile. Day walker and moonlight bound. Sensible and… Playfully childish. "Humph," he chuckled to himself, as he thought about it, "I guess it's true what that Western song says. The one with the girl and the cartoon cat." For a moment, Natsuno felt ashamed that he even knew what he was talking about and quickly decided to try and focus on something else.

Natsuno could hear the customers carrying on and sighed. Seemed like he'd forgotten that it didn't matter if you're in the backwoods or in the big city, everyone gossips and uses labels.

Tohru was busy taking orders. Ever since he had warned them to go home together, Natsuno's three regulars started coming in together as well, sitting at the same table. While Tohru was jotting down the order for the customers at the table directly across from the three, he could hear them talking about how they'd love to get their hands on Natsuno and what they'd do with him when they got him alone. "Please ladies," Tohru said, turning to look at them, as he started to walk to the next table waiting for him, "Natsuno would destroy all three of you in ten seconds flat." There was no menace in his voice as he said this. His voice was calm and relaxed. He walked past them, three tables over and began jotting down the next orders.

The three girls looked at each other, somewhat uncomfortably. 'Big Brother Worship,' they could understand, sure; given what they knew about the situation with Tohru and Natsuno, but that just seemed like it was taking things a bit far. Tohru smiled, he knew that had stung them. "Oh, what does he know about it?" one girl giggled, trying to laugh it off.

"True, he's like, what, only fifteen?" the second said, "He's probably still a virgin."

"No I'm not!" Tohru said in a sing-song kind of voice, almost skipping past them as he headed into the kitchen. He was in a great mood tonight, and he wasn't about to let those three ruin it.

Natsuno heard the whole exchange and buried his face in his hands. "Idiot," he sighed, pinching the point of his nose between his eyes, trying not to laugh.

"Natsuno!?" Tohru called happily, as he came into the kitchen.

"You enjoy annoying them like that, don't you?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru could tell Natsuno wasn't mad at him about it. After what they had said, what they had done, Natsuno was all for letting Tohru get away with whatever he wanted-within reason, of course. "Oh come on now, Natsuno," Tohru said, as he folded his hands together behind his back, still feeling he had to explain himself, "They're the ones who wanted to play hard ball in the first place. I've got what they can never have. If I can't flaunt that in their face, where's the fun in it?" Natsuno smiled. "It's not like I'm worried about competition, Master Natsu," Tohru winked.

Natsuno and Tohru both froze. Had Tohru really just said that? He was joking, of course, but he'd spoke without thinking. Both their faces turned beat red. God, what if a customer had passed by on the way to the restrooms and over heard that exchange? Talk about awkward. Natsuno gave Tohru a silent nod in the direction of the curtain hanging between the hall and the kitchen. As if understanding exactly what Natsuno was on about, Tohru turned and peeked out into the hall. He sighed, looked back at Natsuno, and shook his head, to signal nobody was there. Natsuno heaved a quiet sigh and nodded. "Right, new rule; no more talking like _that_ when we have customers around," he said, flinging the stirring spoon into the pot.

"Right, duly noted and agreed," Tohru confirmed, still blushing bright red. He pulled the order tickets he'd taken for the last three tables and handed them to Natsuno. "They're… They're going to want you to take their order, ya' know," Tohru said, refusing to look at Natsuno, for a moment. "I told you they weren't going to deal with me anymore if they could help it. I'd rather not even give them the chance to demand it tonight."

"Right," Natsuno sighed, taking the order tickets. "I'll take care of them, as soon as I'm through with these orders." He nodded in the direction of the readied plates. "Go ahead and get those out there, and take a few more orders in the meantime." Tohru nodded. "And, hey!" This forced Tohru to finally look back at Natsuno. "Stop daydreaming," Natsuno said with a sigh. He smiled at Tohru and signaled for the little Shiki to come over to him. He gently kissed Tohru's forehead. "We'll talk later," he winked.

Tohru smiled and nodded, seeing the smile on Natsuno's face. That was also part of what Tohru had meant when he said he had something those girls couldn't have; Natsuno's smile. His real smile. For as long as Tohru had known Natsuno, it had been difficult for other people to get him to smile. Oh, sure he would politely smile if the situation called for it, or give a half-hearted smile. Back in Sotoba, he would even try to force a 'whatever' smile or a half-hearted one Tohru's way to hide the real one. But smiles like that, he didn't mean them, they were for the public, to pretend he cared about a conversation that was boring him. But Natsuno had a true smile, one that he really meant, and Tohru was the only one who had ever managed to get him to show it.

"Sure thing," Tohru said, happily, picking up the tray of plates that needed to go out. Like he said, he was in a good mood today, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin it. Tohru did as he was told, delivering the meals to the appropriate tables, taking three more orders, and heading back to the kitchen. Oh, he had stung those girls good tonight, he could feel them trying to stare a hole straight through the back of his head. He simply shrugged it off, knowing if he felt like it, he could throw a look in their direction that'd scare them all right out of their matching hot-pink miniskirts. "Heh," he thought quietly, "Thanks to his last little 'admirer', Natsuno hates the color pink, anyway. You girls'll never win him over wearing that." He turned and smiled at them as he quietly passed by their table. Never before had Tohru taken more pleasure in watching someone shudder like that. He had the monster within under control-as long as he was with Natsuno he always would, but that didn't mean he couldn't still feel it every now and then. Tohru finished taking his next few orders and went back to the kitchen.

"Ok, Natsuno, I'll take it from here, for now. Go take care of your little trollops," Tohru quipped with a giggle as he came back into the kitchen. Tohru really didn't hate these girls, but had fun playing with their heads, and Natsuno wasn't a very good influence on the situation.

Natsuno looked up at him, "Are they mad at you?" he asked, stifling a laugh.

"Steaming!" Tohru announced happily, "They're hoping looks can kill out there."

Natsuno smirked, they both knew that even if that were possible, it wouldn't be enough. "Right, take over," he said, passing the apron to Tohru in exchange for the ticket book. In truth, Natsuno couldn't turn them out of the place without just cause-they might try to cause trouble with false sexual harassment charges or something, but he was secretly hoping Tohru's playful way of constantly turning the tables on them would eventually run them off.

"Good evening, ladies," Natsuno greeted them, as he approached the table.

"Oh, Yuuki-Sama," the girls happily greeted him.

Natsuno closed his eyes and forced on a smile. At least it wasn't Shimizu's 'Yuuki-Kun' greeting, but they weren't really making this easy for him to swallow, as he could hear the swoon in their voices as they spoke. "I see you're back again, tonight," he continued, "That's every night this week, isn't it? I know our food's good, but I didn't realize it was that good." The girls giggled and it took all of Natsuno's will not to roll his eyes at them. He made some polite small talk with the girls while taking their orders, but he would have preferred to retreat back to the kitchen, out of the watchful eyes of everyone else.

Natsuno finished taking their orders, and took a couple of others, before heading back, so it wouldn't seem like he was ignoring the other customers. "Girls can be so stupid sometimes," Natsuno grumbled, to himself, commenting more on the 'small talk' and gossip that came from their mouths than on the girls themselves.

"Sooo… Why did we open a restaurant again?" Tohru asked, as Natsuno crawled back into the kitchen. He asked this because he knew Natsuno hated dealing with people.

"We have to make money, somehow," Natsuno grumbled, "And it was a way for both of us to do something together," he continued a little more positively, "And…" Natsuno's eyes fell on Tohru and he stopped talking, and shook his head in astonishment. "That's amazing, Tohru-Chan."

"Huh?" Tohru looked at him rather confusedly.

Natsuno walked over to Tohru, his eyes focused on one of Tohru's cheeks. He reached over and gently plucked a grain of rice off the blonde's face. "You don't even eat this stuff anymore, how'd you manage to get it all over your face?" He wasn't mad, he was just surprised, and Tohru acted like he clearly hadn't realized it happened.

"I dunno'," Tohru answered with a smile and a shrug, turning back to the food he was stirring on the stove. "I'm just talented that way, I guess."

Tohru slid aside, letting Natsuno join him at the stove, the two of them worked together to get the last nine orders taken between them cooked, plated, and ready to serve. They eventually had to prepare more food to start on the stove in the process. "Oh, hold on," Natsuno sighed, "I'll chop some more pork for the pork-fried rice." Natsuno went to the fridge and pulled out a few small pieces of pork and took it over to the chopping block. "Tohru-Chan, can you get some more peas from the cupboard and two eggs out of the fridge?" he asked. Tohru nodded and began to fetch the requested ingredients.

"Do you have enough rice over there?" Tohru asked.

"Yeah," Natsuno said, looking up at the ingredients he had on the counter. "I believe I should have eno… Ah, Jees!" Natsuno exclaimed quickly jerking his hand away from the meat. Tohru looked up and his eyes widened. Natsuno had gotten careless and nicked his finger with the knife. He had pulled away before contaminating the meat, but the scent of blood was already in the air. Before Natsuno knew anything, Tohru had approached him, caught Natsuno's wrist in his hand, and making sure his back was between Natsuno and the entrance to the kitchen, had gently stuck Natsuno's finger in his mouth. "T-Tohru-Chan…?" Natsuno whispered. "It'll heal right up," he sighed, his face flushing a little, as he felt Tohru's tongue flick over the tip of his finger.

"Sorry, Natsuno," Tohru said, blushing slightly, as he let go and the wound healed. "Just seemed like a shame to waste it."

"It's ok," Natsuno sighed, washing his hands, thinking he could understand Tohru's point of view on the subject. It was times like this they were both glad they didn't have to hire any help.

The two boys quietly went back to work fixing the food. Finally, when everything was ready, they plated the food and set it all on the trays. Tohru took six of the plates, and Natsuno the other three.

The two of them went back out together, each delivering their trays. Natsuno quietly listened as one of Tohru's regulars tried to start up a conversation. "So, Yuuki-Kun?" That was how the customers greeted them, now, Natsuno was Yuuki-Sama and Tohru Yuuki-Kun. They both felt it awkward, but they managed to deal with it. "The guys and I are going to the festival in town tomorrow night, and we figured we'd ask if you'd like to go." Natsuno smirked, it sounded like Tohru was still good at making new friends after all. He wasn't quite expecting the reply that came.

"I dunno'," Tohru said, shaking his head. "I mean, I'd like to, but I'm not sure if Natsuno'd like it."

Natsuno blinked and glanced quietly in Tohru's direction. Did Tohru really think he'd object, or was he afraid of loosing control of himself in a city full of strangers?

"What?" the customer complained, "Dude, you hardly ever go outside. Is your brother that much of a control freak? What a jerk."

"Not at all," Tohru replied calmly, tucking his hands inside his pockets. "He's my legal guardian, sure. He just gets worried easily." He smiled at the customer. "I mean, come on, do I really look like I can take care of myself on my own?"

"So, what about you, Yuuki-Sama?" one of the three girls asked as Natsuno finally made his way over to their table.

"Huh?" Natsuno replied, his purple eyes narrowing in response as he finally looked away from Tohru and up at them.

One of the girls crossed her legs, while another playfully flicked her hair off her shoulders, the third sat stirring her straw around in her cup. "Are you planning on going to the festival with anyone?" they asked.

Natsuno smiled, he already had an answer that would send Tohru's elation levels through the roof. "I'm sorry, ladies, but if you're asking me out, I'm afraid I can't." Tohru and the customers he'd just been talking to all looked up in Natsuno's direction. "I was planning on keeping it a surprise, but with everyone talking about it, I guess he'd find out anyway," Natsuno said, knowing good and well Tohru's eyes were fixated on him. Without even looking in Tohru's direction, he could almost sense the little Shiki quietly rolling his tongue along his teeth in anticipation, just one of his nervous ticks. Natsuno smiled, turned his back to the girls, and glanced back over his shoulder, "I'm taking Tohru-Chan tomorrow night, he's been cooped up inside too long." With that, Natsuno calmly walked back to the kitchen.

Tohru nearly bit his tongue and quietly watched Natsuno leave the room. "Excuse me," he said to the customers, once the other teen had left the room, quietly following the Jinrou out of the kitchen. He would have been skipping if it weren't for the fact that he realized that this would be their first 'date' if Natsuno was serious about going. Instead, he was too busy trying not to let his face turn beat red from the thought.

Natsuno smiled, he could hear Tohru following behind him. He turned to watch as Tohru entered the kitchen. "So?" Natsuno smiled, leaning against the counter. "You want to go to the festival tomorrow, Tohru-Chan?"

Tohru smiled and pounced at him. "Natsuno!" he exclaimed happily.

Natsuno smiled and wrapped his arms around Tohru, ruffling his lover's mess of blond hair. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled. "You know, if you had asked, I would have let you go with those guys if you wanted."

Tohru shook his head. "Nuh-uh, I wouldn't enjoy myself if you weren't there," Tohru said, forcing himself to let go of Natsuno. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather go with," he said with a smile, "But if we run into them, we might hang out with them for a little while, if it's ok with you. I know you're not good with big crowds, Natsuno."

"I thought you'd have figured it out by now, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno smiled, "I'll endure anything for you. …" Natsuno blinked, looked at Tohru and put a finger to his own lips, signaling Tohru to stop and listen. From all the way in the dining area, the two Vampires clearly heard the three girls, feeling quite dejected from Natsuno's announcement.

"Ugh…! That kid is such a brat! He takes up all of Yuuki-Kun's free time. He doesn't even act like he's sick."

The complaints sounded like each different girl had put in her own two cents, but from all the way in the kitchen, it was harder to tell which one made what complaint. Natsuno and Tohru both looked at each other and started laughing. "I think that's the final push to get rid of them," Natsuno said hopefully.

"Aw, too bad," Tohru giggled, "It'll be boring around here when they're gone."

The boys finished taking care of the last of their customers, Tohru put up the 'CLOSED' sign while Natsuno cleaned the remaining dishes off the tables. "Tohru, do you want dish duty tonight, or the mop and broom?" Natsuno asked.

"I did the dishes yesterday," Tohru replied.

Natsuno smiled. "Alright, I'm done in here, then, go grab the broom."

"Sure thing, Natsuno," Tohru said, running off to the janitor's closet.

Between the two of them, they managed to finish cleanup with plenty of time to spare for the night. Natsuno found he was forming a habit of going back to Tohru's room long before returning to his own; things between them really were just like they had been back in Sotoba. Well, almost. Except that they had agreed on separate rooms to allow each other some form of privacy-and that Natsuno enjoyed having the windows in his room, he was almost starting to think it would have been a good idea to just move his stuff into Tohru's room.

Tohru happily passed Natsuno in the hall and opened the door to his room. "You coming in, tonight?" he asked the Jinrou. Natsuno smiled and nodded. "Great, maybe we can find a cheesy late night Kaiju movie or something."

The two boys settled in on the bed and Tohru turned on the TV and began flicking through channels. Finding a movie to leave it on, he snuggled up to Natsuno. Maybe it was all that energy he'd been putting off tonight, but Tohru's body felt warmer than usual. "You've been awfully spry tonight," Natsuno remarked.

"Mmn…" Tohru nodded. "Tonight's the best I've felt in a long time. I almost feel like my old self."

Natsuno smiled. He was glad to hear it. He wrapped his arm around Tohru, catching the blond teen's hand in his. "Say, Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Natsuno?" Tohru replied.

Natsuno remembered the exchange between Tohru and the girls. He was suddenly curious about something. "I want to ask you something about Ritsuko-Chan. It's kind of a personal question, so you don't have to answer. I know how much she meant to you, so I've been trying not to tread on your memories of her."

Tohru looked up at Natsuno. All night, it seemed as if the Shiki were capable of reading the Jinrou's mind, at least when it counted. Tohru put a finger to Natsuno's lips and smiled. "Not another word, Natsuno," he said, rolling over and hopping in Natsuno's lap, locking his eyes with Natsuno's. "Yes, Ritsuko did mean a lot to me, and I'm glad you're trying to be respectful of my memories of her. But before you even ask, I'll remind you that I told you every dirty little secret I ever had, whether you were interested or listening or not." Tohru crossed his arms and looked at Natsuno rather seriously. "Don't you think that if I was kickin' it with an older woman, you'd be the first, if not the only person I would have told?"

"Wait, what!?" Natsuno couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

Tohru smiled, as he noticed the realization of what he'd just admitted was setting in on Natsuno. He jumped off the bed, playfully sticking out his tongue. "Remember that drive I wanted you to join us on? I didn't ask you to simply go along as a chaperone. I'd been sort of dating her since before I'd met you, so if I went off and did anything with you and not her, it felt like I would have been cheating. But at the same time, I felt I would have been cheating you if I went off with her." Tohru's smile got a little wider, as the blush on Natsuno's face got even brighter. "I was hoping we could all go somewhere isolated and out of the way and make it a three-way," he said with a wink.

Natsuno's face was so red from embarrassment now, that it couldn't have possibly gotten much redder. "Then you mean to say I'm…"

Tohru giggled, "My first and only," he admitted, he smiled and pointed at Natsuno, sort of singing Natsuno's name as he said it, "Na-tsu-no."

Well, that explained Tohru's behavior tonight. Natsuno couldn't believe what he was hearing. Going to an early grave and a virgin, Natsuno could understand that for himself, considering he was fifteen and how anti-social he'd always been. But at eighteen, for it to be true for vibrant, beautiful Tohru as well? That just didn't seem fair. Tohru smiled and leaned in toward Natsuno. Tohru knew all to well the same was true for Natsuno. The red slowly left Natsuno's face. Tohru was leaning in too close when Natsuno looked back up, their faces almost touched. Before Tohru realized what was happening, Natsuno had reached up, and jerked Tohru back onto the bed, hugging him. No words needed to be said between them at that moment. The two of them simply smiled at each other.


	4. Chapter 4 - The FestivalA Better Way

_**Chapter 4: The Festival/A Better Way**_

Natsuno tapped his finger on his shoulder. "Yuuki Mutou Tohru, get your ass out of that bed this instant," he growled. God, it was like scolding a child, and yet, Natsuno kind of liked having the privilege to get away with it, especially when lumping his own family name into Tohru's name. He sighed and turned to head back toward the door, as Tohru grumbled and mumbled a response, but didn't really make any attempt to get up. "Fine, if you're going to be like that, I guess I'll just go to the festival without you, and you can just wait until I get home to eat."

"Huh…? Wha…?" Tohru's eyes snapped open and he sprang into a sitting position. "Hey, that's not fair!"

Natsuno stifled a laugh. "I knew that'd get you up," he said, "Sometimes you're too predictable, Tohru-Chan."

"You're one to talk about predictability," Tohru yawned. "I'm sorry, Natsuno, I didn't mean to sleep in."

Natsuno sat on the bed next to Tohru. "I've been trying to get you up for the last ten minutes," he said, "I'd tried everything but dipping your hand in warm water."

"Waste of time anyway," Tohru yawned.

"Huh?"

Tohru smiled. "Dipping my hand in water. Never worked on me when I was a human, no way it'd work now." He wrapped his arms around Natsuno, gently nuzzling the Jinrou's exposed neck.

"Doesn't surprise me," Natsuno replied. He closed his eyes as he felt Tohru's fangs gently sink into the right side of his neck. As Tohru drank, Natsuno gently reached upward with his right arm and placed his hand on top of the blond Shiki's head. Of course, Natsuno had no intentions of leaving Tohru behind in order to go to the festival, but he knew that the threat of being left behind would wake the sleeping Shiki, the only two things Tohru was ever serious about had always been fun and food. Natsuno smiled. "But I'm willing to bet you pulled that stunt on other people all the time, didn't you?"

Tohru tried not to cough or laugh, while his teeth were still in Natsuno's neck. He slowly pulled away and covered his mouth as he tried to force down the red liquid still in his mouth, not wanting to waste a drop. "Several times. It always worked on Masoa," he chuckled once he was finally able to open his mouth. This didn't surprise Natsuno either. "I bet it would have worked on you, too. Would have found out that one time if Aoi hadn't walked in and caught me." Natsuno turned and looked at Tohru, almost surprised Tohru felt safe enough to admit that. Tohru smiled and wrapped his arms around Natsuno. "Don't look at me like that, Natsuo," he chirped, "You can't honestly tell me you didn't expect me to consider trying it at least once?"

Natsuno sighed, "No, I guess not." He smiled and shook his head, "This is you we're talking about, after all." Natsuno stood up, rustling his hands in Tohru's hair. "Come on, hurry up and get ready." Natsuno smiled as he left the room so Tohru could get dressed. Try as he might, he just couldn't stay mad at Tohru.

Natsuno and Tohru wandered through the streets of the festival. Tohru tried to keep his admiration of the sites on a grounded level so as not to draw attention to the two of them. He was doing this more for Natsuno's sake than his own, but the blond teen found it difficult to do; this festival was much larger than any of the ones he'd ever been to in Sotoba. This one even had a few rides, rather than just game booths. The two boys walked through the area, giving each other a respectable amount of space, until Natsuno heard a faint gasp at his side as Tohru stopped dead in his tracks and threw his hands to his ears, squinting his eyes shut tight.

Natsuno turned to Tohru. He knew immediately what had caused this reaction. Without paying attention to where they were going, they had walked right past the 'Test Your Strength' game, and someone had just struck the bell. For some reason, Jinrou weren't affected by the noise the way Shiki were. Natsuno merely felt it annoyingly shrill, rather than painful and frightening. Natsuno sighed. Tohru slowly opened his eyes, when he felt a strong warm hand gently wrap around his wrist. His brown eyes landed on Natsuno's face. Natsuno didn't say anything, he only gave him a reassuring smile and a quiet nod, reminding the blond that he was safe. Tohru relaxed and smiled at Natsuno, who lead him away from the booth.

"I'm sorry, Natsuno," Tohru sighed, when they were finally far enough away. Natsuno had lead him far enough away that they couldn't hear the bell, and pulled him off into a dark corner around the back side of a quiet booth. "I didn't mean to freeze up like that back there." Natsuno only smiled at him, he knew. Tohru sighed and smiled, leaning his head on Natsuno's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Are you ok, now?" Natsuno asked, realizing it was a good idea he'd come with Tohru instead of letting those 'strangers' from the restaurant bring him, after all. Tohru nodded. Natsuno smiled. "Good." Natsuno pulled Tohru close and kissed his forehead. He slid his hand so that it was holding Tohru's, rather than just holding him by the wrist. With a comforting squeeze and a gentle tug, Natsuno lead him back into the crowd. "Just cling to me if you need to." Tohru quietly nodded. Natsuno blinked and suddenly regretted having run in this direction, as all the booths that lay before them were food booths. "Crap," he grumbled, not sure which was worse, having inadvertently lead Tohru past the ringing bell, or suddenly pulling him into a street full of sugary snacks the poor blond teen could no longer enjoy. An idea hit him, though. "Hey, Tohru-Chan, why don't you go see if there's anything over there you use to like. Something small though, that can be mashed up rather easily."

Tohru looked at Natsuno curiously. "Huh? Natsuno, you know I ca…?"

Natsuno looked at him. "Just humor me, ok?" Natsuno said calmly. "It'll have to wait until tomorrow, but I've got an idea." He smiled and let go of Tohru's hand. "Go on, I'll keep an eye on you from here, just let me know when you've found something."

"Uh, Ok…?" Tohru nodded, the confused look still on his face. Lately Tohru and Natsuno were both getting the feeling that Tohru was able to read Natsuno's mind, but at the moment, Tohru had no clue what was going through his head.

Natsuno watched quietly as Tohru walked through the booths, looking over their selections. About halfway down the alley, Natsuno noticed that Tohru had spotted something and froze, staring at it almost wantonly. Natsuno calmly strolled over to Tohru. "You find something?"

"Yeah, actually," Tohru nodded, looking down at the colored mochigome cakes in front of him.

"Mochi?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru nodded, "Mom use to buy these for us when we were kids. If she didn't have any of the store bought kind, and if one of us had a bad day, she'd go in the kitchen and make them for us herself."

"Well, that's decided then," Natsuno said, slinging his backpack off his shoulder and setting it on the counter. Natsuno wasn't sure why he still carried this thing with him, it wasn't like he and Tohru had to worry with school anymore, but he still found himself carrying it along when he went out of the house. Well, it was better to be seen with something like this than a man purse, perhaps. Almost as if that exact thought had passed through Tohru's mind, the blond turned away from Natsuno, quietly bit his lip and rubbed the tip of his nose, trying to suppress a laugh. Natsuno's eyes shifted in Tohru's direction. "Shut up," he said calmly.

"I didn't say anything?" Tohru said, turning back to Natsuno.

"No," Natsuno smiled, "But you were thinking it." Natsuno ordered a bag of the Mochi cakes, paid the vender, put the bag in his back pack, and zipped it shut.

"So…?" Tohru asked as Natsuno slung the backpack back on his shoulder, "Natsuno what are you planning on d…?" He stopped as Natsuno smiled at him.

"You'll see," Natsuno said, hoping his plan would work. "Come on, let's go check out the rides."

Hours passed. Natsuno begrudgingly had to admit he was enjoying himself. He was glad he'd decided to come. Once again, he'd found himself spoiling Tohru, though, as his backpack held now, not only the Mochi cakes, but two stuffed animals, too. Well, it was worth it to see him smile, anyway.

The two of them walked through the booths and Natsuno froze for a second, taking a step sideways to allow a group of about five girls walk past him. Tohru turned to look at Natsuno, who physically looked sick to his stomach, but was doing his best not to say or do anything that would cause the girls undo offence. Tohru blinked, then looked up and past Natsuno, at the girls. Every one of them was in a varying shade of pink. It was Tohru's turn to comfort him. "Natsuno?"

Natsuno gritted his teeth and tossed his head. "Tell me, Tohru, do you ever wish it was possible for us to throw up?" he asked.

"That bad, huh? Wow, Shimizu really left a bad imprint on you, didn't she?" Tohru sighed. Not that he could blame Natsuno, Megumi had been an over obsessed stalker as far as Natsuno was concerned, and Tohru himself had his own reasons for disliking the girl, even more so since she was the one who had turned him into the creature of the night he is now.

"I'll never understand women's obsessive infatuation with the color pink," Natsuno growled. "Bad enough _**her**_ hair was that color, but she was determined to wear it every chance she got, too."

Tohru sighed and walked over to Natsuno. Sure, they were in plain view; but there was no-one around who knew them. He leaned forward and gently pushed his lips to Natsuno's. He smiled as he pulled away, his hands behind his back. "She's gone now, Natsuno," he said calmly, "It's been a year, she can't hurt either of us any more." Tohru's eyes narrowed, his brown eyes turning dark black and pupils slightly flashing red. His voice becoming deadly serious, "But if she ever does show herself in front of us again, she'll have to get through me before she can so much as touch you!"

Natsuno sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right." He smiled at Tohru, he'd hoped Tohru would never have to kill again, but for some reason, he felt a small comfort in knowing the Shiki was willing to do so in this one case. But, as Tohru said, it had been a year, and Seishin and Sunako were the only others from Sotoba they had seen, the others were all likely dead or had moved on. Who knows how many of the surviving villagers turned hunters or were locked away in jail or institutions when no evidence of the Kirishiki family and what had occurred in Sotoba could be turned up thanks to the fire. He was beginning to understand Tohru's concerns over the past year about straggling Shiki coming after them. But in not so many words, just tonight alone, the two of them had confirmed that if anything ever happened, they had each others' backs.

The silence between them was cut by the soft sounds of crying. They both stood very still and listened. Over the noise of the other festival attendants, it was very likely they were the only ones who could hear it. Natsuno nodded in the direction it was coming from. It sounded like a child hidden behind the booths. Tohru nodded and the two of them carefully slipped around the back of the booths. There, they found a small girl, no more than five rubbing her eyes with her hands.

The old Tohru was back in a flash, his eyes back to their gentle brown, rather than their dark black and red. He walked over to her. "Aw, what's wrong, little one, are you lost?" he asked, kneeling in front of her.

Natsuno smiled and leaned against the edge of the booth. Tohru always had a way with kids and animals. "Uh-huh," the little girl sniffled with a nod. "I let go of my momma's hand for a moment, and when I looked up, I'd lost her in the crowds. She's going to be angry. It's past my bedtime, we were supposed to have gone home long time ago."

Tohru smiled. "I don't think she'll be angry. She might be worried though. Would you like some help trying to find her?"

The little girl shook her head. "Momma always said don't talk to strangers."

"Well," Tohru chuckled, "I suppose she's right about that. But, it'd be a lot easier to find her if you had some help don't you think?" The girl nodded hesitantly. Tohru smiled, "Alright then, my name is Tohru," he introduced himself. The little girl nodded again, then looked over at Natsuno. Tohru smiled, he knew Natsuno wasn't going to make the effort to introduce himself. "Ah, so you've noticed my bodyguard over there, have you?" he chuckled. Natsuno rolled his eyes, though in a way, it was true.

"You have a bodyguard?" the little girl asked, sounding impressed.

Tohru chuckled, glad to see the child smiling. "His name's Natsuno. He may look big and scary, but he's really a nice guy."

"Humph!" Natsuno growled looking away, trying to hide his smile.

"I don't think either of you look scary," the little girl giggled.

Tohru smiled. "So what's your name?"

"Maigo Tomiko," she said holding out her hand.

"Well, Tomiko-Chan," Tohru said, gently taking her hand in his. "We're not strangers anymore. Would you like us to help you find your mother?"

Tomiko smiled and nodded, "Would you?" she asked. "Momma said if I get lost to go to the temple, but I don't know which way to go from here."

Natsuno's eyes widened at the sound of this. "Tohru," he said calmly. Natsuno knew which direction that was in, but had been avoiding it.

"I think we can do that," Tohru said, standing up, ignoring Natsuno, almost as if on purpose.

"Tohru!?" Natsuno growled, forcing Tohru to look up at him, "The _temple_?" Natsuno knew he would be fine, yet another thing the Jinrou had over the Shiki, but he wanted to make damned certain Tohru realized what he was walking into.

Tohru blinked as it set in what Natsuno was hinting at. "Ah, shit!" he thought to himself, throwing a hand to his mouth, half surprised he even thought that word, but extremely glad he didn't actually utter it in front of the child. He looked down at Tomiko, who looked up at him a bit confused. "Well, what do you want me to do, Natsuno? We can't just leave her here."

"Just as long as you realize what we're dealing with," Natsuno sighed.

"Well…" Tohru said, looking down at Tomiko, while trying to think for a moment. "We won't go in," he said. "I can at least make it as far as the front gate. From there, the monks can help her. At least we'll know she got there safe."

Natsuno sighed and nodded. "Fine, but the first sign of trouble, and we're leaving." Tohru nodded in agreement.

"Is… Is something wrong?" Tomiko asked curiously.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong, Tomiko-Chan," Tohru said, "It's just that…"

"Tohru-Chan's allergic to the incense they burn at the temple," Natsuno said, quickly making up an excuse for why they can't go past the front gates. "Even the smell is enough to make him sick."

Tohru sighed and smiled, "Thanks for that, Natsuno," he thought, "I never would have come up with it."

"I'm sorry Tohru-Niisan," Tomiko said, looking up at him.

Tohru and Natsuno both flinched. They looked at Tomiko and smiled. It had been a long time since Tohru had been called that. "Hey, Natsuno?" Tohru said, deciding to carry Tomiko in his arms, as the child did look like she was getting sleepy. "Let me see your bag for a minute?" He smiled at Tomiko. "Are you hungry, Tomiko-Chan?" The girl quietly and shyly nodded. Natsuno already knew where Tohru was going with this. He unzipped the bag and handed Tohru a single Mochi cake, glad he'd bought a couple dozen of them, so one or two wouldn't really make a difference.

The two of them carried Tomiko to the temple, Natsuno leading the way, since he knew where it was. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but like Tohru said, they couldn't just leave the girl now that they had found her. After all, what kind of monsters would they be if they…? Oh, right, exactly the kind of monsters they're trying to prevent themselves from becoming. He tried to ignore the childish banter back and forth between Tohru and Tomiko. "It's no wonder Tohru gets along so well with kids, he still acts like one himself," Natsuno smirked at the thought. However, what Natsuno didn't realize was that while Tomiko was chattering away with Tohru, her innocent green eyes were watching the quieter teen, as if she had made up her mind about what kind of person he was, already.

They reached the gates of the temple and knocked, deciding they'd wait until someone took Tomiko inside before leaving. "Alright," Tohru said, getting ready to put the girl down, "We're here. When the monks open the door, we'll ask them if your momma's come by to look for you, yet. They can help you from there."

Tomiko nodded and hugged Tohru, "Thank you, Tohru-Niisan!" she giggled.

"You're welcome," Tohru said.

"You, too, Natsu-chan," she said, leaning her body across to give Natsuno a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Natsuno turned away, trying not to blush, or smile. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he said.

Tohru and Tomiko both giggled at Natsuno's reaction. The monks opened the door and Tohru sat Tomiko on the steps, explaining the situation. The monks said Tomiko's mother had indeed been by, but went out to look for her again, and was expected back at any time. Almost as soon as they said this, a beautiful young woman came walking up the steps of the temple. It didn't take long from the way she and Tomiko greeted each other to figure out this was Misses Maigo.

"How can I ever thank you, two?" Ms. Maigo asked them.

"No need to thank us, ma'am," Natsuno replied.

"Just doing our civic duty, Maigo-Sama," Tohru said, rubbing the back of his head. "We're just glad we could bring Tomiko-Chan back to you safely." Tohru was secretly glad they didn't have to wait long, he thought he could handle coming as far as the front gate but, just standing on the steps had made his legs weak and shaky.

Natsuno and Tohru said their goodbyes and headed back down the stairs. As soon as they reached the bottom, Tohru couldn't resist the urge to tease, "Soo… Look at you, Mr. Heart Breaker! How'd you become such a lady-killer, Natsuno?"

Natsuno blushed, knowing Tohru was referring to Tomiko's innocent, childish 'thank you' kiss. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up," he said.

"Cradle robbing at it's finest," Tohru continued teasing, "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you."

Natsuno smiled and looked back over his shoulder at Tohru, a wisp of his purple locks bouncing in the wind, "You're one to talk," he laughed.

"Maybe so," Tohru said, running up to Natsuno and wrapping his arms around Natsuno's, "But only by three years."

"Just drop it, will ya'?" Natsuno chuckled. "We've done our good deed for the night. I think it's time to head home, before it winds up past _your_ bedtime."

Tohru sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Too bad, too, I was really enjoying myself. We need to go on dates more often." He smiled wryly as he purposely used the word out loud for the first time, just so he could watch Natsuno's face light up a bright red.

Natsuno couldn't deny that was exactly what this was, but it had never actually occurred to him to call it that before now. Natsuno smiled, there was no point in arguing with Tohru. "Yeah, you're right," he said, "We should." Tohru smiled and nuzzled Natsuno's arm.

Tohru felt a chill run down his spine. Still holding onto Natsuno's arm, he glanced back over his shoulder. He got the feeling someone had been following them since they'd left the temple, but he didn't see anyone that looked suspicious. The fact that Natsuno wasn't acting like he noticed it meant one of two things; either it was Tohru's imagination, or Natsuno was well aware that they were being followed and trying to let whoever it was think they had the upper hand. The whole way home, Tohru couldn't shake that feeling, but nothing seemed to have come from it. It passed the moment they were both safely indoors, so Tohru convinced himself it was just an after effect from being so close to the temple, and that it took some time to wear off. Natsuno never said anything, so this only helped confirm Tohru's suspicions that he'd imagined it all.

Natsuno sat his backpack on the counter in the kitchen and unzipped it, handing Tohru both the stuffed animals out of it, before sticking the Mochi cakes in the refrigerator. "I still don't know what you plan on doing with those?" Tohru yawned, watching as Natsuno put them away.

"I told you you'd find out later," Natsuno said, turning to face Tohru as he shut the door, there was a slight laugh in Natsuno's voice. "Shouldn't you be heading to bed?" He walked over to Tohru. "It'll be dawn before long."

Tohru smiled and hugged Natsuno. "Yeah, I'm about to head that way," he said, looking up and kissing Natsuno's lips once more. "I just wanted to say thank you for tonight, Natsuno."

Natsuno smiled and wrapped his arms around Tohru. "You're welcome, Tohru-Chan. I'm glad you had fun. You deserve to get out more often." Natsuno rolled his eyes and smiled, "Typical," Tohru nodded a reply, but was falling asleep standing up. "Hey?" Natsuno gave him a gentle nudge. "Come on Tohru-Chan, are you really going to make me carry you to bed?" he asked.

Tohru yawned and pushed himself off of Natsuno. "It'd be interesting to see you try," he admitted. "Sorry Natsuno, you're just so comfy," he giggled.

Natsuno gave Tohru one last kiss. "Just go, already," he laughed. Tohru nodded and headed off to bed. Natsuno watched Tohru walk out of the room and shook his head. Sometimes, he just didn't know what he was going to do with that boy.

Natsuno stayed up, however, waiting until all the normal stores were open. He had something he needed to buy, and was determined he was going to get home long before Tohru woke up, this time. He came home with the package in tow and took it to his room. Inside the bag was a small red blender, a cup, and a butcher's knife. He still wasn't certain if his plan would work or not, but he was willing to try.

Tohru yawned and rolled over, opening his eyes, as Natsuno came into the room. "Already awake?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru sat up and nodded. "Yeah, I'm up," he answered.

Natsuno smiled and entered the room, carrying the cup from the bag. "Here," he offered, handing it to Tohru, "Try this."

"Huh?" Tohru blinked curiously, taking the cup from Natsuno.

"Don't force yourself to finish it if it doesn't agree with you," Natsuno said, sitting in a chair across from Tohru's bed."

Tohru was hesitant at first, until he lifted the cup toward his face. It was blood colored, and smelt strongly of Natsuno's blood, but there was something decidedly different. He closed his eyes and took a sip. He blinked as he realized what Natsuno had done. "That flavor? … That texture…" Tohru said pulling the cup away from his lips. He looked up at Natsuno, "The MOCHI CAKES?"

Natsuno nodded. "Is it alright, Tohru-Chan?" he asked, "Can you drink it, I mean?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Tohru said. "I never would have thought… But, it makes sense, whatever you eat goes toward helping your body recover lost blood, so I guess mixing regular foods directly into it… Natsuno, you're a genius!"

Natsuno smiled and heaved a quiet, relieved sigh. "I didn't know if it would work or not, so I wasn't going to liquefy them and inject them directly into my blood. I was afraid that'd only make you sick, and leave you without a back up if it couldn't work. But it was worth giving a try."

"How'd you fix it?" Tohru asked.

"Blender," Natsuno answered, simplistically.

"Wait, you didn't!?" Tohru asked.

Natsuno laughed. "Don't worry, I didn't use any equipment from the restaurant. I'm not about to cross contaminate between you and the customers," he said reassuringly. "I went out and bought a spare today, I'm going to keep it in my room, so I can make more of this for you." Natsuno rubbed his arm, deciding not admit that slicing it open with the knife was a lot more painful than Tohru's fangs. Natsuno didn't want the blond Shiki feeling any more guilty about using him as a food source than he already did. Thankfully, Natsuno had a quick healing factor, so there were no scars to show how he'd drawn the blood, though he was sure Tohru would figure it out if he tried to put two and two together on the issue.

Tohru quietly looked Natsuno over. He had already figured it out, but knew there was no point in arguing with Natsuno over it. He simply gave a quiet sigh. "Thank you, Natsuno," he said, "You're too good to me." With that, he put the cup back to his lips and finished the entire mixture in one go.


	5. Chapter 5-I'm SpecialUncomfortable Aura

_**Chapter 5: I'm Special/Uncomfortable Aura**_

Natsuno smiled as Tohru happily moved through the kitchen, helping set up for when the customers came in. He was uncertain if Tohru was bursting with all this energy because of their date last night, or because of the amount of sugar that was in the "Mochigome Smoothie" he'd been given earlier tonight, but he was glad to see the old Tohru back in full swing. Things would definitely prove interesting if those three regulars showed up again, tonight.

"Hold up there, Honey-Locks," Natsuno chuckled, catching Tohru by the elbow.

Tohru blinked, "Honey-Locks?" Well, that was a new nickname. "Where the hell did that come from?" he asked. Knowing Natsuno, this was the first and probably the last time he'd ever hear it.

Natsuno looked up from the cook book and smiled at him. "Never mind that," he said, pulling Tohru in close. "Save some of that energy for the customers, or I'm going to regret giving you a sugar high," he teased, leaning in and giving Tohru an impassioned kiss. Tohru stiffened a bit, having been taken off guard, but he closed his eyes and returned the kiss. Natsuno didn't normally display this sort of affection, especially outside of the private setting of Tohru's bedroom. "But don't use it all up on them, either," Natsuno smiled as he pulled away from the kiss, with a wink.

Tohru smiled, as he realized what had actually gotten into Natsuno. Great, now he had to serve the customers while anticipating what was going to happen between the two of them after closing time. Tohru remembered that when he asked if biting him hurt, Natsuno said it was only a slight discomfort when the skin was punctured, after that it was quite pleasurable. However, by giving Tohru his blood in a different way, he'd deprived himself of that for the night. Tohru blushed and smiled. "Oh, I see," he giggled. "Don't worry, Natsuno, I've always got reserve energy for you."

"You'd better," Natsuno smiled. He shook his head, realizing he was getting way ahead of himself in plans for the night. "Anyway, is everything ready out front?" Tohru smiled and nodded. "Good. Say, Tohru, think you can handle the tables by yourself, while I take full time in the kitchen tonight?"

"Had enough of crowds for one week?" Tohru asked.

"Something like that," Natsuno nodded.

"Leave it to me, Natsuno," Tohru assured him.

It started off as a slow night, when the customers came in; the festival was lasting a second night, and those who had gone the first night had already spent all the money they cared to for the week, then. Tohru and Natsuno were both thankful for a slow, yet steady stream of patrons, perhaps they could close up early if they were lucky. Tohru looked up as the wood on the door clicked, "Well, crap," he thought to himself, "Guess I haven't run those three off yet, after all. Come on, girls, take a hint, will ya'!? Oh well, challenge accepted, ladies." He finished taking the order for the table he was with and headed back to the kitchen.

"Well, they're persistent, I'll give them that," he sighed as he entered the kitchen.

"They actually came back?" Natsuno groaned. "Yeah, I'm not going out there tonight!"

Tohru gave Natsuno a sly little smile. "Don't worry, Natsuo," he said, "I've got your little fan girls well taken care of tonight. Want to or not, they'll have to deal with me." He handed Natsuno the order ticket. "Be right back."

Tohru walked up to their table, two more customers had come in during this time; one of them gave him a chill as he walked past her. She was an elderly woman, who had a white, almost holy aura radiating off her. "Wow, spooky," he thought quietly to himself.

"Good evening ladies," Tohru greeted the girls, "The usual, tonight?"

"You're not going to send big brother out to take our orders, tonight?" one of the girls asked. "It's been a while since you came to us yourself."

Tohru smiled at them and sat down at the booth, right next to one of them. "Yeah, he's not in the mood to deal with people tonight," Tohru said. "Look, ladies, you want a little advice?"

The girls looked curiously at him. "What," the second girl asked, "are you actually trying to sell out your big brother?"

"First off," Tohru looked them all over. He'd been with Natsuno too long, that color was even starting to make him feel sick, "The pink has got to go! He hates it. Second, just give up! He's already got someone, and he doesn't like clingy, pushy people."

"Yet he still puts up with you," the third girl remarked, this third one was the one who had started the whole confrontation in the first place.

Tohru's eyes snapped dead pan on her, causing her to shiver in her seat, as she remembered the first time she'd been stupid enough to anger him. Tohru glanced toward the direction of the kitchen, quietly, with almost shifty eyes. He slowly closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, forcing them to stay their beautiful shade of brown as he looked back at them, he gave them one of his charming, youthful smiles. He leaned back in the booth, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed and the smile still dancing across his face. He raised his right hand in the air, his index finger pointing at them. "That's because, _**I'm special**_!" Oh, that felt so good to rub in their faces. He jumped up from the table and flipped open the ticket book. "Right, so three 'usual's for table four. It'll be right out, ladies."

He was apprehensive about approaching the elderly lady at first, she was a new face, and he wasn't sure if it was possible for Shiki to get Goosebumps, but it sure felt like he was getting them from her. Maybe she was just in town for the festival and stopped by for something to eat? Whatever her reason, she was still a customer and couldn't be ignored. "Good evening, ma'am. How are you this afternoon?" he greeted her. For some reason, the three girls watched Tohru's interaction with the new customer, it was almost like they could tell something about this woman was making him nervous.

"I'm fine," she replied silently, calmly. Her hair came to her shoulders, it was turning light shades of grey and blue from her age. Her eyes were hazel and sharp. Tohru didn't quite understand what it was about this beautiful-for her age-lady made his skin crawl. "I'm having trouble deciding, what would you suggest?"

"How the hell am I supposed to answer that one!?" he thought to himself; Natsuno only just now discovered a way for Tohru to take in real food, it's not like he knew which dishes to suggest to anyone. He stopped to think, rubbing the back of his head with the tail end of the pen in his hand. "Well, our Teriyaki dishes are really popular, and they come with a bowl of Misou and your choice of fried rice or two sushi rolls," he suggested. He went with the Teriyaki, because it was a rather popular choice, and this lady didn't really look like she could handle some of the spicier dishes.

She signaled for him to lean in, as if she was going to ask him to help her find them on the menu. He hesitated for a second, but did indeed lean in. She caught his ear lobe, like she was an old grandmother about to scold her grandchild for something, leaned in and whispered a warning, "You shouldn't play with your food, you know."

"Huh?" Tohru blinked at her confusedly, and quickly jerked away, rubbing his hear. Why did it feel like it was on fire? She barely pinched it. Tohru heard the girls giggling. Maybe they thought she was scolding him for annoying them.

"I suppose I'll have the Chicken Teriyaki, then," she said.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Tohru said, scribbling the order down and walking away, still rubbing his ear. He took the order for the last customer that had come in, trying to ignore the giggles from the girls at table four, and occasionally glancing back at the old woman. His ear still burned as he walked into the kitchen. "Man, what the actual hell?" he groaned, rubbing his ear.

"What's going on out there?" Natsuno asked, having heard the girls' vapid giggling.

"We've got an odd one out there tonight. Some freaky old lady, her aura's so strong, I can't help wondering if the humans see it out there," Tohru said, fidgeting with his ear again.

"What's wrong with your ear?" Natsuno asked.

"I dunno'," Tohru shrugged, "She just barely touched it, and now it feels like it's on fire. How's it look?"

Natsuno walked over and brushed Tohru's hair out of the way. "It looks alright, to me, Tohru-Chan." He sighed, "It could just be from coming in contact with such a strong aura, even though it was for a short amount of time. Just try not to let her touch you again, maybe it'll get better." He kept an eye on the entrance to the kitchen, but gently leaned in and kissed the point of Tohru's earlobe where he'd indicated the feeling of conflagration. Tohru blushed, and almost instantly felt better. "So, what were they laughing at? I heard them fall dead silent when you left their table."

"They probably thought she was scolding me for teasing them," Tohru sighed, tearing out the three ticket stubs. "I'm telling you Natsuno, there's something weird about her. I haven't been told not to play with my food in ages. Mom eventually just gave up on getting that through my head."

Natsuno nearly dropped the spoon, when he heard this. "That's what she said when she touched your ear?"

"Yeah?" Tohru nodded.

Natsuno wiped his hands with a towel. "Take over for a minute." Natsuno walked out of the kitchen, to get a look at this mystery woman. She was already standing in the hallway, sure enough, her aura was overwhelmingly noticeable.

"Oh, hello, there," the elderly lady greeted him. "I'm sorry, which way are the restrooms?" Natsuno didn't want to cause a commotion, so he pointed her in the direction of the public restrooms. "Thank you young man," she said with a polite bow. Her eyes narrowed in on the entrance to the kitchen. "You watch yourself. You're playing a dangerous game with that one," she said nodding in the direction of the kitchen, as she went to find the restrooms.

"What… the… FUCK?" Natsuno ducked back into the kitchen.

Tohru looked up at him, both confused and a little worried. "Natsuno?"

Natsuno shook his head and brushed his hair out of his face. "I think I saw her at the temple, last night, Tohru-Chan," he sighed, "And I think she knows what we are. Or at least what you are. I'm not sure if she's quite figured me out just yet."

"You think she might be a priestess or something?" Tohru asked.

"I don't know," Natsuno sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I know I said I was staying in the kitchen tonight, Tohru-Chan, but if you want me to handle her…?"

Tohru shook his head, "No, Natsuno. The girls at table four are already pretty annoyed tonight. I'm not going to send you out there in front of them for a single customer."

Natsuno sighed. "Alright, then just be careful, ok? DON'T let her touch you."

Tohru nodded. "I'll be fine, Natsuno. I'll just deliver her order and go straight to any other customers." Natsuno sighed and gave Tohru a nod of agreement. He was really hoping this wasn't about to escalate into something ugly.

The night passed, thankfully, without any real complications. The old priestess ate, paid her bill, and left. After a while, the restaurant had become completely empty. Natsuno heaved a sigh of relief. "Alright, Tohru-Chan, go put up the closed sign," he instructed, "We can shut down early tonight, and since tomorrow's the last night of the festival, we may not even open tomorrow. That'll be our two days this week. We can just have tomorrow to ourselves at home. Make sure the front door's locked. I'm going to go check the back door and all the windows."

Natsuno hated to admit it, but the old priestess actually had him a little spooked. The fact that she could single out Tohru like that really wasn't very comforting. Tohru helped Natsuno with cleanup and putting away the food. They both retreated to Tohru's room once they had finished, after tonight, they could both use a pick-me-up. "How's your ear, Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno asked as they shut and locked the door behind them.

"All better. As soon as your lips touched it, it started feeling better." Tohru blushed. "That always seems to be the case with you."

"Huh?" Natsuno asked.

"It's odd. I never would have thought a Shiki could blush, but you've pointed out I can. There's a sensation I get when I feed from you that I never got from anyone else. These last few days, I've even been acting more like my old self, bursting with energy," Tohru explained. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"You've also been a lot warmer to the touch," Natsuno nodded, putting a gentle hand on Tohru's cheek. "Never once did that little girl complain you felt cold while you were carrying her last night."

Tohru nodded. "You've noticed. Maybe it's just because you're a Jinrou, but there are times after I feed from you, where… Where it feels like my heart could start beating again."

Natsuno smiled at Tohru and closed in the space between the two of them, wrapping his arms around the Shiki. "If it ever does, you'll be sure to let me know, right?"

Tohru blushed and nodded. "Of course I will," he replied softly, gently nuzzling Natsuno's neck. Natsuno let out a soft gasp as he felt Tohru's fangs pierce into his neck. He really didn't understand what it was about that sensation that drove him wild, he didn't really care to, either. Tohru released Natsuno's neck and leaned in for a kiss. That was all either of them needed for the events of the night to completely melt away.

Natsuno opened his eyes and looked around. He'd fallen asleep in Tohru's room. Tohru was snuggled up next to him, fast asleep, meaning it must be daylight outside. Tohru's arm was draped over Natsuno's bare chest, and the three stuffed bears were all lined up along the wall at the far end of the bed. Tohru didn't need them when Natsuno shared the bed with him. Natsuno smiled, looking at Tohru's face, the honey-blond locks of untamed hair gently framed the Shiki's face. "Even when he's asleep, he's beautiful," Natsuno thought with a gentle smile. He gently kissed Tohru's forehead and made an attempt to get up. However, without even opening his eyes, Tohru managed to make the effort to pull Natsuno back down. Natsuno rolled his eyes, "I guess I'm stuck here for now," he chuckled. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Tohru. "Alright, Tohru-Chan, you win."


	6. Chapter 6 - We're Going to Be OK

Author's Note: Yeah, I haven't had one of these notes in a while, have I? Unfortunately, Chapters 5 & 6 didn't flow as smoothly for me as the other 4 did. They're both a little darker, not as "warm and fuzzy" or funny as the others, but I needed some kind of conflict in the story other than just a gaggle of city girls trying to make passes at Natsuno, and my other idea was in NO way going to work with this story. And, I'm sorry if either one has felt extremely out of character in any of these last three chapters (4-6). I feel kind of silly, though. I went back and watched some Shiki AMVs and I'm wondering where I had got the idea that Tohru was slightly shorter than Natsuno, now. (My bad, but it's way too late in the story to go back and change it!) I still have some ideas for this couple, but those are probably going to be completely separate stories. Oh, and by the way, for those of you wondering, yes that is a real Vampire anime Tohru's watching in this chapter. I'm wondering if anyone can guess it?

Update: I have a sequel story to this one, now, sort of a cross over, though, "Another Way Part 2" can be found here:  s/9773784/1/Another-Way-Part-2

_**Chapter 6: We're Going to Be OK**_

Natsuno decided to keep the restaurant closed tonight. It was the final night of the festival, they would have little to no business if they did open. Add that to the unexpected visit from the priestess last night, and Natsuno felt safer with the doors locked, anyway. Tohru had settled down in his own room for a night of video games and monster movies, and he decided to give Natsuno some space to himself for a while. "You don't have to spend the whole night alone," Tohru said, "But you really do deserve some time to yourself."

Natsuno appreciated the sentiment. He sat in his room, in his own bed, propped up with a pillow and a book. He could hear the TV in Tohru's room, it sounded like Tohru had found some silly Vampire anime while flipping channels. All Natsuno knew was the words 'Vampire' and 'O-Part' were getting thrown around. Tohru sounded like he was actually getting interested in it. "How can he watch that stuff?" Natsuno grumbled at the irony. He stopped and thought about it. Monster movies were meant to be scary for humans, but ultimately with the humans often coming out as the victors, especially in most Zombie and Vampire films. For an Okiagari, however, it would be the 'monster' they associated with more, so the inevitable defeat would make the movie much scarier. "Exactly why I can't believe he can stand to watch it," Natsuno said rolling his eyes. "Oi! Tohru-Chan, turn it down or find something else would you?"

"Fiiiine!" came the reply from back down the hall. Tohru lowered the volume, but he couldn't help finding the show amusing, and he thought the writer's take on a Human and half-Vampire 'blood-bonding' was interesting. He sort of saw the half-Vampire's two servant characters as something like a Jinrou, though what they really were wasn't exactly explained in the episode he was watching. He didn't see it really scary, either, the Vampire was the hero character, even though it was hinted he was a son of Dracula. "What is it with Dracula's Dhampir sons always trying to kill him, anyway?" Tohru wondered aloud, recalling another anime and at least one video game with a similar premise. "None of his daughters ever seem to decide to go on a family killing spree." Tohru was laying across his bed, his feet on the wall his head just barely at the edge, propped by his pillow and arms, the remote in his hand-just under his chin, and all three of his bears next to him, one of the two from the festival on either side, and the first one Natsuno had given him, somehow perfectly balanced on the top of his head. Once the anime had gone off, he decided to swap over to one of his video games instead. He managed to do this without disturbing the stuffed animal on top of his head even once. Tohru was talented that way.

The night passed quietly, with Natsuno checking in on Tohru every now and again to see if he needed anything. Of course, the return reply was always, "I'm fine, but thanks." Eventually Natsuno decided he needed a little social interaction before the night was up and joined Tohru in his room for a few rounds in a fighting game.

Finally, things went back to usual, without the festival in town. The customers were back in and out of the restaurant at a steady pace. Natsuno's three admirers continued to come by, but they managed to miss a few nights. However, the week passed by without the old priestess being seen again. Natsuno and Tohru asked Seishin, when he came by, but he had never heard of anyone like her being in town.

"Maybe she really was only in town for the festival, after all?" Tohru said, as he helped Natsuno with the clean up.

"I suppose that's possible," Natsuno agreed, "But I still can't figure out what her purpose was in revealing herself to us. She had to know one or both of us knew there was something to her that the customers couldn't notice."

"I think she followed us back from the festival the first night," Tohru said. "The whole way home, I felt someone was watching us, but never could figure out who or where. You didn't act like you'd noticed anything, so I thought I was just being paranoid."

"She must have seen us bring the girl back to her mother and decided to follow us to see what we were up to," Natsuno said. "Maybe we'll be done with her considering what she saw."

Tohru nodded. "Say, Natsuno? Why didn't you tell Mr. Muroi about your little discovery?"

"You mean how you can eat normal food?" Natsuno asked. Tohru nodded. "Why would I? First off, it's not exactly something I can talk about in front of customers. Second, that truce we made was only between us and Seishin-Sama. Don't think I'm sharing any thing with that little witch Sunako."

"So, that means Sunako can't come inside the restaurant if she comes looking for him, too, doesn't it?" Tohru asked, suddenly realizing that not only had the truce only been made between the three of them, but the invitation to become a regular was only extended to Muroi Seishin.

"I don't care how sadistic Tatsumi was, in the end, it was Sunako's idea to turn the villagers. No one would have had to be killed if it wasn't for her dream to have an entire village full of Shiki," Natsuno said, "And, you told me how she told you she had high hopes for you. It sounds like she was simply trying to control you, because she knew you still held regrets for what you'd done. No, that little witch will find no safe haven within these walls. She's older than either of us, and had more time to learn what being an Okiagari is really like. There's no telling what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve."

"Natsuno…? Outside of your mother, can you name a single woman you've ever liked?" Tohru asked, almost teasingly.

"Your sister Aoi, Kaori, and Ritsuko-Chan," Natsuno growled in response, holding up a finger for each one. "Don't try to mince my words like that. It's not my fault the last six or seven women to come through our lives have all been total basket cases."

Tohru smiled, "Fair enough, I suppose." He sighed and closed his eyes, drawing a figure eight on the counter top with his fingertip as he fondly remembered the three girls Natsuno had listed. Tohru barely new Kaori-most of the school simply knew her as Shimizu's friend, she was the quiet tagalong, but from what Tohru remembered of her, she was pretty nice. Tohru's nail almost dug into the counter, though when his memories returned to his sister and Ritsuko. His eyes opened and he sighed. "I think I'm going to bed early, tonight," he said quietly.

"Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno gently caught his wrist, before he left the kitchen. Tohru looked up at him. Natsuno sighed.

Tohru shook his head. "Don't apologize, Natsuno, that's just not you. You haven't done or said anything wrong. As far as I know, my family survived, and I have my memories of Ritsu-Chan. I don't think I'll ever fully stop missing them, but I can never go back to them, either. It's good to remember them every once-in-awhile." Tohru smiled at him. He didn't mean to make Natsuno worry, but the memories had all came flooding back at once, and he wanted to be alone with them for a moment.

Natsuno smiled back and nodded. "Alright, I think I've got everything pretty much in hand. Thanks." Tohru gave him a smile and a quiet nod. Natsuno sighed and gently kissed Tohru's forehead, thinking anything more would be inappropriate at the moment. "Good night, Tohru-Chan."

Tohru smiled and returned the kiss, but making absolutely certain his lips were against Natsuno's, in order to get the point across that he was going to be ok. "Good night, Natsuno," he smiled sweetly, as he headed off to his room.

"Damn, I'm an idiot," Natsuno scolded himself in his head. _Sure, it was Tohru who'd asked in the first place._ "But still, I should have thought of a better way to answer him." Natsuno sighed.

As if Tohru could read his mind, Natsuno heard him call down the hallway toward the kitchen. "For God's sake, Natsuno! I said I'm fine!" Tohru smiled as he shut the door to his bedroom. He found it sweet that Natsuno was concerned, but really wished he wouldn't blame himself. He stopped as that thought hit his mind. Tohru had blamed himself for everything that had happened to Natsuno. But Natsuno's words just now; clearly Natsuno had never blamed Tohru directly.

"Ok now, that's just getting plain weird," Natsuno said, shaking his head and looking down the hallway. "This time, I KNOW he read my mind. I really should ask Seishin-Sama if he and Sunako have that connection, too." He sighed and smiled. "But, I guess he really is ok."

Tohru was his usual happy-go-lucky self the next night. Like he'd said, he had his memories and just needed some time alone with them. Once again, Tohru found himself invited to go out somewhere. The same bunch who had invited him to the festival were now asking him to "Go to a movie tomorrow night."

Before Tohru could answer, Natsuno walked up behind them. Tohru sensed Natsuno behind him and turned around to look at him. The whole table grew uncomfortably quiet, afraid Natsuno would have some excuse to keep him home. Natsuno smiled at them. "Come help me in the kitchen, Tohru-Chan, and we'll talk about it." Tohru nodded. "He'll have an answer for you guys when he comes back with your orders."

The two of them went back to the kitchen. "So, do you want to go?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru shrugged. "Well, it is one I've been wanting to see."

Natsuno smiled. "Tohru-Chan if you want to go, then go. I understand you don't like going out without me just yet. But, you will have some familiar faces with you. Or, you can ask them if I can tag along as a chaperone if you really want me there. I can fix you up a bottle or two of something to drink, so long as you don't get caught with it… For more reasons than one, of course."

"Are you sure that'd be ok?" Tohru asked. "To go without you, I mean?"

Natsuno looked up at Tohru, wondering, what it was he was really afraid of. "I won't force you one way or the other, Tohru-Chan," he said reassuringly. "If you want to go, then I won't stand in your way." He walked over and whispered in Tohru's ear, "And if it'll make you feel better, you can go with them, and I'll chaperone from the shadows." He smiled and winked.

"Natsuno!" Tohru smiled, he didn't care if anyone saw them or not. He didn't care that they were in a kitchen full of cooking food. He pounced Natsuno and kissed him.

Natsuno smiled and returned the kiss. He laughed, "I'll take that as a yes. Alright, go. I'll keep an eye on you from a distance. As long as the movie is over by midnight, or at least one o'clock, so you can get home before sunrise, there shouldn't be a problem. Aside from that, as long as they don't try to drown you in pigs' blood or something, I shouldn't have to kill anyone." He winked again.

Natsuno quietly followed Tohru and his friends to the theater; as he'd promised, he watched from the shadows. Tohru knew he was close, but no one else knew he was there, it was easy for him to do. Natsuno felt a little silly playing Tohru's bodyguard like this, but he understood Tohru's reasons for preferring this. The Shiki had put Tohru through a lot of trauma, Natsuno was all he had left familiar, he simply felt safer knowing Natsuno was close by, even if he didn't want to admit that was his reasoning.

Natsuno found a spot in the back of the theater where he could keep an eye on Tohru's group, and still watch the film. He was glad to see Tohru was having a good time, even if he didn't really find the movie that interesting himself. Natsuno smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Tohru had been showing great progress in recovering from what they'd been through, well as best he could being stuck as an Okiagari. He'd proven more than once he could control himself in a group of humans, and appeared to be making new friends all over again. "I think we're going to be OK," Natsuno thought satisfactorily.

The movie ended, and Natsuno slipped out of the theater before anyone could notice him. Tohru's friends made pit stops at the restroom, and Tohru decided to wait for them outside. "So, what'd you think of it?" he asked, knowing Natsuno was close enough to hear him.

"Not my kind of movie, but it was ok, I guess," Natsuno answered. "You want to head on home, or wait for your friends?"

"I'd have to wait for at least one of them, I suppose," Tohru said, "It'd be rude to just run out on them."

Natsuno nodded. "Alright, you'll know where I am when you're ready." Tohru nodded, as Natsuno turned a corner and found a wall to lean against with his hands in his pockets.

Natsuno felt a sudden shudder run down his back. Something wasn't right. He stepped away from the wall and looked around. That he could sense the aura from that priestess again. Natsuno's eyes widened, as he heard a shriek from the theater. "SHIT!" He darted back around the corner.

"Hey, lady, what's your problem?" one of Tohru's friends asked the priestess, who was standing over him with a holy relic. They were confused both, by the woman's actions and Tohru's reactions.

"Your friend is a creature of the night," she replied calmly. "He's dangerous to be around."

"So, what, you're hear to exorcise him or something? Lady, you're crazy."

"If you don't believe me, just look at his eyes," the priestess replied.

Before any of them had a chance to see the change in Tohru's eyes, Natsuno had knocked the relic out of her hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled at her, his own eyes flashing their vacant blue lights.

"Natsuno…?" Tohru called out to him.

"Tohru-Chan, are you alright?" he asked, turning to check on the Shiki. "Look at me." He caught Tohru's chin and held him so that they're eyes met. Tohru sighed, calming down a bit, his eyes returning to their normal brown. Natsuno sighed, his own eyes returning to normal. By now, a crowd was staring and whispering. Natsuno turned back to the priestess and glared at her. "Take a look around you," he warned her, "And think about what could have happened just now." He turned back to Tohru. "Come on, Tohru-Chan, we're getting out of here." Tohru clung tight to Natsuno and followed him away from the theater. "Crazy old bat," Natsuno scoffed. He was fit to be tied. He lead Tohru away from the crowds and stopped to check on him again.

"Natsuno," Tohru sighed, leaning his head on Natsuno's shoulder.

"It's ok, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno whispered, wrapping his arms around the frightened Shiki. "I'm here. Are you alright?"

Tohru tightened his grip on Natsuno, breathing heavy. "I…I'm not hurt, just a bit shaken up. It wasn't the relic that had me so frightened."

"What?" Natsuno asked.

"She had the relic in her hand, between that and her aura, she was trying to back me to the wall," Tohru said, sinking to his knees. "I saw a stake and hammer hanging under her robe when she pulled out the relic. I don't think she's a priestess. … She's a hunter."

"Quite astute of you," a voice came from behind. Tohru jumped to his feet and Natsuno twirled around to find the woman standing there. "That's exactly what I am; a hunter."

Natsuno growled at her. "You stay away from us," he warned her. "I don't care who or what you are. You pull anything and I'll kill you here on the spot."

"N-Natsuno…" Tohru gasped. Natsuno had never killed a human, not once since he'd turned into a Jinrou. As a matter of fact, the total number of times Natsuno had even drank blood could be counted on one hand, and each time from a different donor. Unlike Tohru, he didn't have the other Shiki pulling the strings to force him to take lives.

"I miss judged you at the restaurant the other night," the hunter said, looking at Natsuno. "I didn't pick it up at the temple, either." A she pulled the stake from under her robe. "As your friend said, I had one on me. But I only had one." She used it as a pointing tool to point at Tohru, who was being shielded by Natsuno. "Your little friend back there is an Okiagari, I knew it the moment he set foot on the temple steps. Tell me, child, how many lives have you taken?"

Tohru let out a soft whimper and closed his eyes. Natsuno could feel the back of his jacket becoming damp already. "Damn you," Natsuno growled, "You've got some nerve asking him that."

"THAT is why I knew what he was," the hunter explained. "I've fought many Okiagari in my life time. I could sense the death of his victims on him. I knew he was a threat to society if left unchecked."

"Bullshit," Natsuno snarled. "Given the choice, Tohru-Chan would never even hurt a fly. You saw with your own eyes, he even carried that little girl onto holy ground to help her find her mother, and she was completely unharmed."

"Given the choice," the woman pointed out, "But that doesn't mean he hasn't."

"But I was wrong. He's a threat, but he's not the one I should have been worried about," the huntress said, turning her attention to Natsuno and using the stake to point at him, now. "I couldn't read you at all. You don't have the smell of death on you like he does. But you're a much bigger threat. You're faster, stronger, maybe even smarter, and I'm willing to bet you heal quicker."

"I'm also immune to the sun and your holy relics," Natsuno nodded, letting her know she was picking a fight she was ill equipped for, "And before you go making judgments on who's a bigger menace to society; we've done all we can to atone for what we've done. But lady, if I wasn't there tonight, in a matter of minutes, you could have undone a year's worth of progress. One wrong move on your end…" Natsuno stopped and spit. The thought of Tohru loosing control and slaughtering so many people just because this one woman scared him out of his wits was enough to make him sick.

"So, you're the one keeping the little Okiagari under control, is that what you're trying to tell me?" she smirked. "Please, they're all the same, a kid could have fell and scrapped his knee on the steps back at the theater, and this monster would have reveled in the scent."

"Not him," Natsuno growled. "We've found another way. A better way. We've already seen the chaos that occurs when frightened people learn the truth about Okiagari and Vampires. We won't be the ones responsible for brining it down upon this town." Natsuno took a step or two backwards he could feel Tohru clinging tightly onto his shoulders.

"Just what are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're like nothing I've ever come across before." She held the stake flat by her side and took a step or two closer, as if she were trying to figure him out. "You're Okiagari, and yet, you seem alive, you don't seem to have killed humans before, but perhaps some of your own kind. You seem determined to hang on to your humanity, and to fight for the humanity of that one as well." She pointed with the stake again.

"You point that thing at us one more time, and I'll shove it down your throat!" Natsuno growled. "If you must know, you're looking at two closely related Okiagari; the weaker more timid Shiki, and the stronger determined Jinrou. There may only be two of each left, we don't know. But the two of us, we're not the ones you should be afraid of. We came here to look for a better way of doing things, and we've found it. I don't need human blood to survive, and he's able to use mine to sustain himself. No one has to get hurt our way. But, you're right, I've never killed a human before, and I'm pissed off enough right now that I would gladly make you the first exception." Natsuno's eyes shifted toward his shoulders, where he could still feel Tohru's trembling hands. With every threat of violence Natsuno made, Tohru's grip had tightened, as if silently begging Natsuno not to give in to his own inner monster. Tohru knew the weight of taking a human life, it wasn't something he wanted Natsuno to ever have on him. Natsuno sighed, he knew they had to get Tohru somewhere safe soon, if they dallied too long, they would have the sun to contend with, as well. "But right now I have something…" Natsuno shook his head, "SOMEONE more important to take care of. So, if you ever run into any more of our 'clansmen', do yourself a favor and run the other way, and pay attention to your surroundings. You may be powerful, but you're getting up there in age, one wrong move on your part and everyone around you will pay the price. But if I ever see you again, I will end you!" Natsuno gave Tohru's hand a gentle pat. "Come on, Tohru-Chan, we're going home."

The hunter stood still and watched the two Okiagari leave. She decided to heed Natsuno's words and leave them be, rather than give chase. A smile crossed her lips. These two creatures of the night were fighting to survive on their own, while holding on to their humanity. They had each other, and that was all they needed. "Those two," she said as she turned to walk away, "Are going to be just fine."

Natsuno lead Tohru home safely and into his bedroom. Even though it was unnecessary, the two of them were breathing heavy. Natsuno had shut and locked every door behind them on the way to Tohru's bedroom. He sat the blond Shiki, who had been deathly quiet for a long time now, down on the bed. "Tohru? Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno sighed, clasping both hands over Tohru's, hoping to get some kind of verbal response.

"N-Natsuno," Tohru mumbled weakly. He couldn't bring himself to look Natsuno in the eyes, but hearing the concern in the Jinrou's voice, he felt obligated to speak. "I'm sorry, Natsuno. It seems I'm always causing you trouble."

Natsuno slid up on the bed next to Tohru and hugged him tight. "Don't talk like that, Tohru-Chan," he said calmly. "What matters is we're both safe now." He ran his fingers through Tohru's hair. "Tohru, look at me," Natsuno pleaded. Natsuno's parents had taught him against religion as a child. He didn't know for sure if there truly was a God or not, but as he begged Tohru to look up at him, he silently prayed, "If you do exist, we're doing all we can down here to make it. Please, don't undo all I've worked for in a single night." Tohru turned his head upward, so that his eyes could meet Natsuno's. Natsuno smiled when he saw Tohru's 'puppy-dog' face. "Everything's going to be ok, Tohru-Chan," he assured him with a gentle kiss. "I'll always keep you safe."


End file.
